THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


BEQUEST 

OF 
ANITA  D.  S.  BLAKE 


EEOOLLEOTIONS 


OF   A 


NAVAL    OFFICER 

1841-1865 


RECOLLECTIONS 


OF  A 


NAVAL   OFFICER 

1841-1865 

• 

BY 

CAPT.  WILLIAM  HARWAR  PARKER, 

AUTHOR  OF  "ELEMENTS  OF  SEAMANSHIP,"   "HARBOR  ROUTINE  AND  EVOLUTIONS," 

"NAVAL  TACTICS,"  "NAVAL  LIGHT  ARTILLERY— AFLOAT  AND  ASHORE," 

"  REMARKS  ON  THE  NAVIGATION  OF  THE  COASTS  BETWEEN 

6AN   FRANCISCO  AND    PANAMA." 


"  The  greatest  friend  of  Truth  is  Time ;  her  greatest  enemy  is  Prejudice." 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNERS'  SONS 
1883 


COPYRIGHT  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNERS'  SONS 

1883 


GIFT 


GRANT,  FAIRKS  &  RODGERS 

ELECTROTYPERS  &  PRINTBBS 

Philadelphia 


PKEFAOE. 


During  the  war  with  Mexico,  1847-48,  a  friend  of  mine, 
J.  Hogan  Brown,  was  the  sailing  master  of  the  United 
States  steamship  Mississippi.  The  Mississippi  went  from  Vera 
Cruz  in  the  squadron  to  attack  Tampico,  and  had  in  tow 
the  schooner  Bonita — gunboat. 

During  the  night  a  "  norther "  sprang  up,  and  the  officer 
of  the  deck  let  the  Bonita  go,  and  did  not  think  it  neces 
sary  to  report  the  fact  to  the  commodore. 

In  the  morning  the  commodore,  Matthew  C.  Perry,  came 
on  deck,  and  not  seeing  the  Bonita,  inquired  where  she 
was.  The  officer  of  the  deck  told  him  that  in  the  night 
they  had  let  her  go  in  consequence  of  the  weather.  The 
commodore,  who  was  not  noted  for  his  suaviter  in  modo, 
though  strong  in  the  fortiter  in  re,  said:  "Send  the  master 
to  me."  Upon  his  appearance  he  said,  "  Mr.  Brown,  where 
is  that  schooner?"  Brown,  who  was  never  at  a  loss  for  an 
answer,  instantly  replied,  "  She  is  S.  S.  E.,  fifteen  miles 
distant."  "  She  is,  eh  ?"  said  the  commodore,  and  turning 
to  the  officer  of  the  deck  he  said,  "Steer  S.  S.  E."  The 
officers  in  the  ward  room,  hearing  of  the  occurrence,  said, 
"Well!  old  Brown  is  caught  at  last."  In  about  an  hour 
the  man  at  the  mast-head  called  out :  "  Sail  ho !  "  Where 
away?"  said  the  officer  of  the  deck.  "Right  ahead,"  was 

the  reply;  and  in  a  few  minutes:  "Can  you  make  her  out?' 
•  v 

139 


vi  PREFACE. 

"Yes,  sir,  a  schooner."  "By  George,"  said  the  officers  in 
the  ward  room,  "  old  Brown  is  right,  after  all !"  After 
awhile  the  strange  sail  was  reached,  and  proved  to  be  a 
merchant  schooner  bound  to  Pensacola.  The  commodore, 
in  a  great  rage,  sent  for  Brown  and  said:  "Did  you  not 
say  the  schooner  Bonita  bore  S.  S.  E.  fifteen  miles  off?" 
"  Well,  sir/  said  Brown,  "  the  reckoning  called  for  a  schooner  ; 
but  it  did  not  say  it  was  the  Bonita  !" 

Now  the  moral  of  this  is  that  this  reckoning  calls  for  a 
schooner,  but  no  particular  schooner :  so  if  any  fellow  expects 
his  schooner  to  be  mentioned  he  may  find  himself  mistaken. 

I  wish  to  say  here,  with  Captain  Kincaid  of  the  rifle 
battalion :  "  That  this  is  my  book ;  and  if  any  man  wishes 
his  name  or  services  to  be  specially  mentioned,  let  him 
write  a  book  for  himself." 

43  YORK  ST., 

Norfolk,   Fa. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

Entrance  into  the  Navy.— Join  the  North  Carolina,  74,  at  New 
York. — First  Impressions. — Hammocks  versus  Cotton  Bales. — 
Midshipmen's  Pranks. — The  U.  S.  brig  Somers. — The  brig 
Boxer. — Melancholy  Suicide. — The  "  By-No-Meal "  Theorem. — 
Am  Ordered  to  the  line-of-battle  ship  Columbus. — A  poetical 
Sailmaker ,  1 


CHAPTER  II. 

My  First  Cruise.— The  Columbus,  74.— Ghosts.— Cross  the  Atlantic.— 
Gibraltar. — Guarda  Costa  and  Smugglers. — Port  Mahon. — 
Assassination  of  Mr.  Patterson. — Lieutenant  Charles  G.  Hun 
ter. — Squadron  Winters  in  Genoa. — Passed  Midshipmen  Beale 
and  Murray. — The  brig  Somers. — A  Duel. — Return  to  Mahon. — 
The  Delaware,  74.  — Toulon. —  Cape  de  Gata.  — Gibraltar 
Again. — Madeira. — Sail  for  the  Coast  of  Brazil. — Saturday 
Night  Yarns. — Target  Practice.— Improvement  in  Gunnery. — 
Captain  Marryatt  and  American  Thunder 10 


CHAPTER  III. 

Arrival  at  Rio  de  Janeiro. — The  East  India  Squadron. — Anecdotes  of 
the  War  of  1812.— The  Brazil  Station.— Slavers.— The  Harbor 
of  Rio  de  Janeiro. — Marriage  of  the  Emperor  Dom  Pedro. — 
Salutes. — Promotions  in  the  Squadron. — Monte  Video. — The 
Bishop  of  Honolulu. — Visit  to  Buenos  Ayres. — Rosas,  the  Dic 
tator. — La  Senorita  Manuelita. — A  Day  at  Rosas'  Quinta. — Re 
turn  to  Rio.— Arrival  of  the  frigate  Raritan.— Sandy  Thomp 
son's  Will  —Return  to  the  United  States  .  22 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  frigate  Potomac.—  The  Millerite  Excitement.— Sail  for  Norfolk.— 
Leave  Norfolk  for  the  West  Indies.— The  Landfall  of  Colum- 


viii  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

bus. — Gonaives. —  Port-au-Prince. —  A  San  Domingo  Game- 
Cock.— The  Yellow  Fever.— Port  Royal.— Havana.— Tomb  of 
Columbus. — Pensacola. — Vera  Cruz. — Rumors  of  War  witb 
Mexico. —  Return  to  Pensacola. —  Sharks. —  A  Leak  in  the 
Bow.— A  Coffer  Dam.— The  U.  S.  S.  Princeton.— Return  Home.  35 


CHAPTER  V. 

Return  to  the  frigate  Potomac,.  —  List  of  Her  Officers. — First  Impres 
sions. — Sail  for  Vera  Cruz. — Arrival. — Sacrificios  Island. — San 
Juan  de  Ulloa. — Sail  for  Brazos  Santiago. — Land  a  Force  at 
Point  Isabel.— Battle  of  Palo  Alto.— Battle  of  Resaca  de  la 
Palma.  —  General  Taylor  and  Commodore  Conner.  —  An 
Alarm. — Major  Ringgold. — Captain  May. — Lieut.  Ridgely. — 
Boat  Expedition  up  the  Rio  Grande 47 

CHAPTER  VI. 

War  Declared. — Blockade  of  the  Coast. — Rivers  and  Towns  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico. — Blockade  of  Vera  Cruz. — Green  Island. — 
The  Pirates  of  the  Falmouth. — Passed  Midshipman  Hynson. — 
Burning  a  Vessel  under  the  Castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa. — 
Midshipman  Rogers. — Loss  of  the  brig  8omers, — Unlucky 
Vessels. — Affair  at  the  Rio  Antigua. — The  gunboat  Reefer. — 
First  Attempt  on  Alvarado. — The  British  frigate  En<lymion,  .  57 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Capture  of  Tampico. — Slipping  off  Tampico  in  "  a  Norther." — The 
U.  S.  S.  Hornet.— Vessels  of  the  U.  S.  Navy  lost  between 
1841-61.— Pensacola.— Yellow  Fever.— Second  Attempt  on 
Alvarado. — Admiral  Joshua  Sands. — Attack  on  Tobasco. — 
Death  of  Lieutenant  Charles  Morris. — Captain  French  For 
rest. — Incidents  of  the  Blockade  of  Vera  Cruz.— Anton  Li- 
zardo. — Narrow  Escape  of  the  Cumberland. — Loss  of  the  U.  S. 
brig  Truxtun. — A  Man  Hanged  at  the  Yard-arm  of  the  U.  S.  S. 
St.  Mary's. — Visit  Pensacola  and  return  to  Vera  Cruz,  ...  68 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Fortifications  of  Vera  Cruz. — What  Admiral  Farragut  thought 
of  them. — Campaign  of  General  Taylor. — Lobos  Island. — Ar 
rival  at  Vera  Cruz  of  General  Scott's  Army. — A  Reconnois- 
sance. — Landing  of  the  Army  cf  General  Scott  at  Vera  Cruz, 


CONTENTS.  ix 

PAGE. 

March  9th,  1847.— Remarks  On.— Investment  of  the  City.— 
Services  of  the  Navy. — Opening  of  the  Bombardment. — A 
Heavy  Norther.  —  Incidents  Connected  with.  —  Sailors  on 
Shore.— Affair  at  Medellin, 79 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Opening  of  the  Bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz. — Captain  Tatnall  and 
the  Spitfire. — Commodore  M.  C.  Perry  assumes  command  of 
the  Squadron.  —  Commodore  Conner's  Mistake. — The  Navy 
lands  six  heavy  guns.— The  Mosquito  Fleet.— The  Navy  Bat 
tery. — It  opens  fire  on  Vera  Cruz. — Incidents.— Passed  Mid 
shipman  Fauntleroy. — Surrender  of  Vera  Cruz  and  the  Castle 
of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa. — Our  Army  takes  Possession. — Battle  of 
Cerro  Gordo. — A  visit  to  the  Castle  and  City. — Our  Marines,  .  91 

CHAPTER  X. 

Expedition  to  Alvarado. — "Alvarado"  Hunter  and  the  steamer 
Scourge. — A  Coincidence. — An  Allegory. — Capture  of  Tuspun. 
— Jack  Beard's  Disappointment. — Grand  Expedition  to  To- 
basco. — Attack  on  the  Gunboats  by  the  Enemy  in  Ambush. — 
Landing  at  the  Devil's  Bend. — The  March. — Incidents. — The 
Steamers  Raise  the  Chevaux  de  Frise  and  take  the  Fort. — 
Capture  of  the  Town  of  Tobasco. — Captain  Bigelow  appointed 
Governor. — An  Unfortunate  Affair. — Sail  for  Home  in  the 
frigate  Raritan. — Yellow  Fever. — Arrival  at  Norfolk,  .  .  .  103 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Ordered  to  Annapolis. — The  Naval  School  of  1847. — Captain  George 
P.  Upshur. — Duels. — The  Battle-ground  of  Bladensburg. — Pro 
fessor  William  Chauvenet.— Swapping  Yarns.— Pat  Murphy 
and  the  Coon  Skins. — Captain  X.'s  Dilemma. — Commodore 
Chauncey. — A  Precise  Message. — A  Sailor's  Testimony. — Van 
Ness  Phillip's  Visit  to  Troy. — Thompsonian  Treatment. — Mad 
Jack  Percival. — Pass  my  Examination. — A  Bad  Quarter  of  an 
Hour  on  Board  the  Bay  State. — A  Friend  in  Need. — Hard 
Work  at  the  Boston  Navy  Yard, 117 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Ordered  to  the  sloop-of-war  Yorktown. — Sail  from  Boston. — Arrival 
at  Porto  Praya. — First  Cruise  on  the  Coast  of  Africa. — The 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Gambia  River. — Monrovia. — Battle  between  the  Liberians  and 
Natives. — President  Roberts. — A  Cruise  to  Windward. — Cadiz, 
Funchal,  Teneriffe,  Palmas  — Porto  Praya  Again. — An  Old 
City. — Riding  out  a  Gale  on  a  Lee  Shore. — Rescue  of  the 
American  brig  Copperlhwait, 129 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Kroumen. — The  brig  Porpoise. — A  Boats  wain's-mate's  Poetry. — A 
narrow  escape  from  Drowning. — Accra. — Elmina. — Cape  Coast 
Castle.— Grave  of  L.  E.  L.— Slavers.— A  Yankee  Trick.— The 
Slave  Trade.  —  The  Bridgton.  —  Whydah.  —  Dahomey.— 
Prince's  Island. — African  Fever. — Second  Cruise  to  Windward. 
Madeira. — Canary  Islands.— Wreck  of  the  Yorktown  on  the 
Island  of  Mayo. — Return  Home. — How  to  find  the  Moon's  Age,  140 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  Morning  Call. — Ordered  to  the  Surveying  brig  Washington. — Sur 
vey  of  Nantucket  Shoals. — Block  Island  and  No-Man's  Land. 
—Pilot  Daggett.— The  Pilot  of  the  Bibb.— Anecdote.— Ordered 
to  the  Princeton. — A  Night  with  the  "  Spirit  Rappers." — Am 
detached  from  the  Princeton  and  ordered  to  the  Cyane,  .  .  .  154 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Join  the  Cyane.— Bad  Navigation.— Havana.— The  Lopez  Expedition. 
—Key  West.— The  Dry  Tortugas.— Pensacola.— Commodore  J. 
T.  Newton.— Greytown.— The  Nicaragua  Route.— A  Trip  up 
the  San  Juan  del  Norte.— Castillo.— Join  a  Flying  Squad 
ron  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.— Eastport.— St.  Johns,  N.  B.— The 
Bay  of  Fundy.— Captain  George  N.  Hollins.— A  Sunken  Rock. 
— An  Old-time  Dutch  Commander. — The  Gulf  of  St.  Law 
rence.— Detached  from  the  Cyane.— The  Cyane  Bombards  Grey- 
town.— The  Isthmus  of  Darien.— Strain's  Expedition.— Captain 
Prevost's  Experience.— The  Darien  and  Mosquito  Indians,  .  .  160 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Report  for  duty  at  the  Naval  Academy  —Ordered  to  the  Merrimac.— 
Auxiliary  Steam  Power. — Sail  from  Boston. — Arrival  at  Rio. — 
The  Ganges,  74.— Double  Cape  Horn  and  Arrive  at  Talca- 
huana.  —  Brilliant  Performance  at  Valparaiso.  —  Chincha 
Islands.— The  Chinese  Coolie  and  the  Peruvian  Cholo.— First 


CONTENTS.  xi 

PAGE. 

Inhabitants  of  North  America.— Callao.— Lima.— The  Spanish 
American  Eepublics  and  Population.— Payta.— The  Bucca 
neers. — Alexander  Selkirk. —  Juan  Fernandez.  —  Dampier. — 
Circumnavigators. —  Magellan. —  Drake. — The  Early  Spanish 
Voyagers 174 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Cook's  Voyages  and  Discoveries. — Anson's  Voyage  around  the  World. 
— The  Mutiny  of  the  Bounty. — Panama. — Indian  Names  and 
their  Signification.  —  Tumbez.  —  Callao  Again.  —  Lieutenant 
Denny,  R.  N.— The  Sandwich  Islands.— Realejo.— Nicaragua.— 
Chinandegua.— A  Voyage  in  a  Bungo.— Panama  Again.— Com 
modore  J.  B.  Montgomery. — Valparaiso. — The  Levant. — The 
Lancaster.—  Sail  for  Home.— Rio  Janeiro.— John  Brown's 
Raid.— The  frigate  Congress.— Arrival  at  Norfolk, 187 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Ordered  to  the  Naval  Academy. — Secession  of  the  Cotton  States. — 
Occupation  of  Annapolis  by  Troops  under  General  Butler. — 
Secession  of  Virginia. — Resign  my  Commission  in  the  U.  S. 
Navy  and  enter  the  Confederate  Navy. — Governor  Hicks  and 
the  State  of  Maryland.— Secession  of  the  Border  States.— The 
Northern  Democrats. — Harper's  Ferry. — General  Harney. — 
The  Appearance  of  Richmond  at  the  beginning  of  the  War. — 
The  Pawnee  War. — Arrival  of  Troops. — A  Naval  Howitzer 
Battery. — Evacuation  of  Norfolk. — Captain  A.  B.  Fairfax. — 
— The  Patrick  Henri/. — Lieutenant  Powell. — Our  First  Iron 
clad.— The  Battle  of  Manassas.  —Affair  at  Acquia  Creek,  .  .  200 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  North  Carolina  State  Navy.— I  join  the  reinforcements  for  Hat- 
teras.— Capture  of  Cape  Hatteras.— Commodore  Samuel  Bar- 
ron. — Lieutenant  Wm,  H.  Murdaugh. — Roanoke  Island. — Ore 
gon  Inlet. — I  assume  command  of  the  Beaufort. — Fort  Macon. 
— Colonel  Bridges  and  his  Command.  — A  Pleasant  Day. — 
Reading  under  Difficulties. — Public  School  Education. — The 
Beaufort's  Crew — My  Cabin  Boy. — The  Neuse  River. — Teach, 
the  Pirate. — A  Pilot's  Yarn. — Visit  to  Jacksonville. — A  False 
Alarm. — Washington,  N.  C. — A  cruise  on  a  Canal. — Arrival  at 
Norfolk, 211 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

PAGE. 

A  Visit  to  Newbern. — Change  of  Officers. — Join  the  Squadron  at  Roa- 
noke  Island. — Wise's  Brigade. — The  Defences  of  Roanoke  Is 
land. — Commodore  Lynch's  Squadron. — The  Burnside  Expedi 
tion. — Flag  Officer  Goldsborough's  fleet. — An  evening  with 
Commodore  Lynch. — Battle  of  Roanoke  Island. — Incidents. — 
Retreat  of  the  Squadron  to  Elizabeth  City 221 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

The  Defenses  of  Elizabeth  City. — Henningsen's  Artillery. — Recon- 
noKsanL'e  by  Commodore  Lynch. — He  is  chased  back  to  the 
Pasquotank. — I  am  placed  in  command  of  Fort  Cobb. — The 
Battle  of  Elizabeth  City.— Incidents.— The  Destruction  of  the 
Confederate  Squadron.— Commodore  Lynch.— Retreat  from 
Elizabeth  City.  Cross  the  Dismal  Swamp. — Incidents  along 
the  Route.— Henningsen's  Men.— March  to  Suffolk.— Arrival 
at  Norfolk. — Find  the  Beaufort  there. — Join  General  Wise  at 
Great  Bridge. — Return  to  Norfolk  and  report  to  Commodore 
Buchanan. — His  Squadron 234 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Evacuation  of  Norfolk  by  the  Federals.— Ordnance  left  at  the 
Navy  Yard. — Vessels  Burned. — The  Merrimac. — Is  converted 
into  an  Iron-Clad. — Her  Designer. — Her  construction  and  ap 
pearance. — Her  Armament. — Her  Engines,  and  Speed. — Her 
Draft 246 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Federal  Ships  in  Hampton  Roads.— The  Merrimac  and  her  Con 
sorts  leave  Norfolk.— The  Battle  of  Hampton  Roads.— The 
Sinking  of  the  Cumberland. — Arrival  of  the  James  River  Squad 
ron. — The  Batteries  at  Newport's  News.— The  Frigates  Minne 
sota,  Roanoke  and  St.  Lawrence  come  up  from  Old  Point. — They 
get  aground. — Surrender  of  the  Congress. — Fire  from  Troops  on 
Shore.— Incidents  of  the  Battle.— The  Federal  Loss.— The  Con 
federate  Loss. — The  Ram  and  Iron-Clad. — Confederate  Gun 
boats. — Services  of  the  wooden  vessels  in  this  Battle 251 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Night  of  the  8th  of  March.— The  Battle  Between  the  Merrimac 
and  Monitor.-  Remarks  upon  this  Battle.— Injuries  of  the  Mer- 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

PAGE. 

rimac. — What  was  Expected  of  her  North  and  South. — What 
she  could  not  have  done. — The  Case  of  Captain  Smith  and  Lieu 
tenant  Pendergrast. — What  a  White  Flag  Signifies. — Lieuten-  . 
ant  Joseph  P.  Smith. — Commodore  Tattnall  relieves  Admiral 
Buchanan  of  the  Command. — His  Character. — Preparations  for 
Another  Battle.  .  264 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Our  Plan  for  Boarding  and  Smothering  the  Monitor. — The  Merrimac 
challenges  the  Monitor  to  Battle. — We  capture  three  Vessels. 
— Operations  in  Hampton  Roads  on  the  llth  of  April,  1862. — 
Remarks  on. — The  Merrimac  drives  the  vessels  employed  in 
Bombarding  Seawell's  Point  under  the  Guns  of  Fort  Monroe. — 
The  Monitor  declines  to  fight  the  Merrimac. — Am  ordered  to 
command  the  Dixie. — Evacuation  of  Norfolk  by  the  Confeder 
ates. — Commodore  John  Rodgers. — His  Attack  on  Drury's 
Bluff. — Blowing  up  of  the  Merrimac. — Commodore  Tattnall's 
Report.— Reflections  on  the  Destruction  of  this  Ship.— Pilots.  273 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Am  ordered  to  command  the  Gunboat  Drury. — The  James  River 
Squadron. — The  Seven  Days'  Fighting  around  Richmond. — 
A  Board  for  the  Examination  of  Midshipmen. — Am  ordered  to 
the  Iron-Clad  Palmetto  State  at  Charleston.— Description  of 
her. — An  Incident. — A  Fire  at  Sea. — Flag  Officer  Duncan  L. 
Ingraham  — Battle  off  Charleston,  January  31,  1863,  between 
the  Confederate  Iron-Clads  and  the  Federal  Fleet.—  Surrender 
of  the  Mercedita  and  Keystone  State. — The  other  vessels  driven 
off. — Proclamation  of  General  Beauregard  and  Commodore  In- 
graham. — Remarks  upon  this  Engagement  and  its  Results  .  .  286 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Capture  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Isaac  Smith.— Torpedoes.— Charleston  at  this 
time.— Its  Defences.— Blockade  Runners.— Arrival  of  the  U.  S. 
Iron-Clad  Fleet  off  the  Harbor.— Attack  on  Fort  Sumter  by 
Admiral  Dupont's  Fleet,  April  7,  1863.— Result  of  the  Attack. 
— The  Keokuk  Sunk. — Admiral  Dupont's  Captains. — An  In 
tended  Torpedo  Expedition.  —  The  Monitors  leave  Morris 
Island  and  go  to  the  North  Edisto  river 306 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

PAGE. 

Reconnoissance  of  the  Monitors  in  the  North  Edisto  river.— I  Organize  ' 
a  Torpedo  Expedition  to  attack  them.— Arrival  atRockville.— 
A  Deserter. — Skilful  and  Original  Flank  Movement. — Return 
to  Charleston. — Commander  W.  T.  Glassell's  attack  on  the 
New  Ironsides. — Admiral  Daniel  Ammen. — I  am  ordered  to 
Richmond 316 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Organization  of  the  Confederate  Naval  Academy. — The  School  Ship 
Patrick  Henry. — Capture  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Underwriter. — The 
Iron-Clads  Virginia,  Richmond  and  Fredericksburg. — The  De 
fence  of  James  River  by  Torpedoes.— Captain  Hunter  David 
son.— His  attack  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Minnesota.— Opening  of  the 
Campaign  of  1864. — General  Butler's  Lost  Opportunity. — Bat 
tle  of  Drury's  Bluff. — I  am  ordered  to  command  the  Rich 
mond—Trent's  Reach 323 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Curious  Target  Practice.— Attack  on  the  Monitors  in  Trent's  Reach, 
June  21,  1864. — The  Confederate  Iron-Clad  Albemarle  and  her 
Engagements.— Captain  Jas.  B.  Cook.— Lieutenant  W.  B. 
Cushing. — The  Alabama  and  the  Kearsarge. — The  Florida  and 
the  Wachusett.  —Attempt  to  get  our  Iron-Clads  to  City  Point. — 
Its  Failure. — Blowing  up  of  the  Gunboat  Drury. — General  Jo 
seph  E.  Johnston  and  President  Davis. — Vice  President  Ste 
phens. — The  Confederate  Government. — State  of  Affairs  in 
Richmond  and  on  the  James  River  in  March,  1865 336 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Evacuation  of  Richmond. — Ordered  to  take  charge  of  the  Con 
federate  Treasure.— The  Corps  of  Midshipmen.— The  Night  of 
April  2d.— Scenes  at  the  Depot.— Departure  of  the  President 
and  Cabinet. — Arrival  at  Danville. — Go  on  to  Charlotte,  N.  C. 
—General  Stoneman  at  Salisbury.— Resolve  to  carry  the  Trea 
sure  farther  South. — Mrs.  President  Davis  and  Family. — Leave 
Charlotte.— Pass  through  Chester,  Newberry,  Abbeville  and 
Washington. — Arrival  at  Augusta,  Georgia.— The  Armistice 
between  Generals  Johnston  and  Sherman. — Determine  to  Re 
trace  my  Steps. — Leave  Augusta  for  Washington,  Georgia  .  .  349 


CONTENTS.  xv 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

PAGE. 

Return  to  Abbeville.— An  Alarm.— Arrival  of  President  Davis  and 
Cabinet.— I  transfer  the  treasure  to  General  Basil  Duke  and 
Disband  my  Command. — Interview  with  President  Davis. — His 
Departure  from  Abbeville.— General  Joseph  E.  Johnston's  Sur 
render.— Am  Paroled.— Leave  Abbeville  on  my.  Return  Home. 
—  Bad  Travelling.— A  Day  at  Burksville.— Arrival  at  Nor 
folk,  Va 363 


EEOOLLEO  TICKS 


OF   A 


NAVAL    OFFICER 


CHAPTER  I. 

ENTRANCE  INTO  THE  NAVY—  JOIN  THE  "  NORTH  CAROLINA  74,"  AT  NEW 
YORK — FIRST  IMPRESSIONS — HAMMOCKS  VERSUS  COTTON-BALES — MID 
SHIPMEN'S  PRANKS— THE  U.  S.  BRIG  "  SOMERS  " — THE  BRIG  "BOXER" 
—  MELANCHOLY  SUICIDE— THE  "BY-NO-MEAL"  THEOREM  —  AM  OR 
DERED  TO  THE  LINE-OF-BATTLE-SHIP  "  COLUMBUS  " — A  POETICAL  SAIL- 
MAKER. 

WE  are  told  that  when  Mr.  Toots  attempted  to  write  an 
acrostic  to  Florence  Dombey  he  carefully  prepared  the  first 
letters  of  the  lines,  and  then  never  got  farther  than  "  For 
when  I  gaze  " ;  and  I  must  confess  that  in  commencing  theso 
recollections  I  feel  somewhat  in  the  same  predicament ;  so  I 
think  it  best  to  plunge  at  once  in  medias  res  and  say  that  I 
entered  the  U.  S.  navy  as  a  midshipman  on  the  19th  day  of 
October,  1841,  being  then  fourteen  years  of  age.  I  was 
almost  immediately  ordered  to  the  U.  S.  ship  North  Carolina, 
and  on  the  27th  day  of  the  same  month  reported  for  duty  to 
Commodore  M.  C.  Perry,  then  commanding  the  station  at 
New  York. 

I  well  recollect  my  extreme  surprise  at  being  addressed  as 
Mr.  by  the  commodore,  and  being  recalled  to  my  senses  by  the 
sharp  William  of  my  father,  who  accompanied  me  to  the  Navy 
Yard. 

1 


2  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  New  York  we  had  put  up  at  the  City 
Hotel,  the  favorite  resort  of  naval  officers.  The  night  of  our 
arrival  we  took  a  Whitehall  boat  at  Castle  Garden  and  pulled 
off  to  a  transport  lying  in  the  North  River,  to  visit  my  eldest 
brother  who  was  on  board  with  other  officers  on  their  way  to 
join  their  regiments  in  Florida.  My  brother  had  just  gradu 
ated  at  West  Point,  and  was  attached  to  the  Fourth  Infantry. 
I  never  saw  him  again  as  he  died  within  a  year. 

I  reported  on  board  the  receiving  ship  North  Carolina, 
Captain  Francis  M.  Gregory,  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  of 
October.  She  was  at  anchor  in  the  North  River,  off  the  Bat 
tery  ;  had  a  full  complement  of  officers  and  men,  and  was 
kept  in  fine  order.  She  was  one  of  the  largest  of  our  line-of- 
battle  ships,  or  74's  as  they  were  generally  called.  One  of  the 
midshipmen  informed  me  the  next  day  that  she  was  called 
a  74  because  she  carried  80  guns!  When  I  got  upon  her 
quarter-deck  the  marines  were  drawn  up  for  drill,  the  band 
was  playing,  a  large  party  of  ladies  were  promenading  the 
poop-deck,  and  these  sights  taken  in  connection  with  unac 
customed  smells  (for  this  ship  had  always  a  curious  odor  of 
rum,  tar,  bean-soup  and  tobacco  combined),  tended  to  confuse 
me  terribly.  The  one  defined  recollection  I  have  is  of  a 
midshipman  (whom  I  had  met  the  day  before  in  Commodore 
Perry's  office)  passing  us,  and  recognizing  my  father  with  a 
touch  of  the  cap,  so  jaunty  and  debonair,  that  I  thought  that 
if  I  could  ever  attain  to  that  perfection  I  would  be  a  naval 
officer  indeed. 

My  father  soon  left  me  and  I  was  taken  below  to  be  intro 
duced  to  my  messmates,  of  whom  I  found  about  thirty,  messing 
in  the  gun-room  and  sleeping  on  the  orlop  deck.  During  the 
first  day  I  was  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement ;  the  frequent 
calling  of  all  hands,  and  the  running  about  caused  me  to  think 
the  ship  was  on  fire,  and  I  repaired  to  the  quarter-deck  many 
times  to  see  what  the  matter  was. 

Several  of  the  midshipmen  hung  about  me,  watching  a 
chance  to  perpetrate  their  jokes ;  but  a  greenhorn,  like  myself, 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS.  3 

happening  to  complain  to  them  that  he  "  could  not  find  Cheeks, 
the  marine,  anywhere,"  caused  me  to  smile ;  for  I  was  well  up 
in  Marryatt's  novels — so  they  let  me  alone  with  the  remark 
that  they  supposed  my  father  and  brother  (both  of  whom  were 
in  the  navy)  had  put  me  up  to  the  usual  navy  jokes. 

About  this  time  all  hands  were  called  to  stand  by  the  ham 
mocks,  and  my  surprise  was  great  when  I  saw  the  hammocks 
taken  out  from  the  nettings ;  for  I  had  previously  supposed 
that  naval  officers,  taking  the  hint  from  General  Jackson's 
defences  at  New  Orleans,  had  stuffed  the  ship's  sides  with 
bags  of  cotton,  to  resist  shot !  Fortunately  I  did  not  allow 
this  to  escape  me,  or  I  should  have  been  called  "  cotton-bale 
Parker  "  to  this  day. 

When  I  was  taken  down  to  the  orlop  deck  and  saw  the 
hammocks  swung  I  could  not  imagine  how  I  was  to  sleep  in,  or 
rather  on  one ;  for,  not  knowing  that  it  was  not  unlashed  and 
that  it  contained  inside  a  mattress  and  blankets,  I  naturally 
thought  it  was  the  way  of  sailors  to  sit  a-straddle  of  it  and 
repose  in  this  unnatural  attitude.  It  caused  me  much  unhap- 
piness  that  night  in  the  gun-room,  and  I  thought  I  had, 
perhaps,  better  resign  and  go  home  at  once ;  but  at  two  bells, 
nine  o'clock,  when  we  all  went  down  to  turn  in,  I  was  much 
relieved  to  see  the  hammocks  spread  out  into  a  more  reason 
able  shape. 

Here  another  surprise  awaited  me :  up  to  this  time  I  had 
suffered  much  with  ear-ache,  and  my  mother  had  caused  me 
to  wear  night-caps — there  was  nothing  strange  to  me  in  this, 
as  other  boys  wore  them  at  my  boarding-school — but  it  seems 
it  was  not  a  "  way  they  had  in  the  navy."  My  caps  were  of 
many  colors :.  red,  blue,  green,  etc.,  for  they  were  made  of 
remnants  of  my  sisters'  dresses.  Now  as  I  made  my  final 
preparations  for  repose  I  opened  my  trunk  and  put  on  a 
close-fitting  night-cap.  It  was  the  signal  for  an  indescribable 
scene  of  confusion.  If  I  had  put  on  a  suit  of  mail  it  could 
not  have  caused  greater  astonishment  among  these  light- 
hearted  reefers.  They  rushed  to  my  trunk,  seized  the  caps, 


4  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

put  them  on,  and  joined  in  a  wild  dance  on  the  orlop  deck,  in 
which  were  mingled  red  caps,  blue  caps,  white  caps — all  colors 
of  caps — in  pleasing  variety.  I  had  to  take  mine  off  before 
turning  in  as  it  really  did  seem  to  be  too  much  for  their  feel 
ings  ;  but  I  managed  to  smuggle  it  under  my  pillow,  and  when 
all  was  quiet  I  put  it  on  again ;  but  when  the  midshipman 
came  down  at  midnight  to  call  the  relief  he  spied  it,  and  we 
had  another  scene.  This  was  the  last  I  ever  saw  of  my  caps. 
I  have  never  had  one  on  since,  and  consequently  have  never 
had  the  ear-ache! 

I  do  not  propose  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  my  life  on 
board  this  ship,  but  only  to  present  a  few  scenes  as  they  come 
to  my  recollection. 

My  first  duty  was  to  carry  the  daily  dispatches  to  Commo 
dore  Perry  at  the  Navy  Yard,  and  this  kept  me  in  a  boat 
pretty  much  all  day,  and  involved  a  good  deal  of  risk  in 
passing  the  ferries ;  but  after  a  few  weeks  I  was,  to  my  great 
joy,  (for  I  was  green  then  and  didn't  know  any  better)  as 
signed  to  a  watch. 

About  the  latter  part  of  November  the  ship  was  taken  to 
the  Navy  Yard,  laid  alongside  the  wharf,  and  made  comforta 
ble  for  the  winter,  by  building  houses  over  the  hatches,  closing 
in  the  half-ports,  etc.  Our  time  was  occupied  in  keeping  our 
watches  and  learning  navigation  under  Professor  Ward.  I, 
for  one,  soon  learned  to  work  all  the  rules  in  Bowditch's 
Navigator ;  though,  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  I  did  not  ex 
actly  understand  "  what  it  was  about :"  nor  did  I  learn  until 
I  got  fairly  to  sea  on  my  first  cruise.  Few  explanations  were 
given  as  to  "  theory,"  as  well  as  I  remember. 

The  navy  at  that  day  was,  as  to  the  officers  and  men,  very 
similar  to  the  British  navy,  as  described  by  Marryatt  in  his 
novels :  the  same  jokes  were  perpetrated  and  the  same  charac 
ters  existed. 

We  had  on  board  the  North  Carolina  some  sailors  who  had 
been  in  the  Constitution  when  she  captured  the  Querriere; 
some  who  were  in  the  United  States  when  she  took  the  Mace- 


THE  U.  S.  BRIG  "  SOMEMS".  5 

donian,  and  others  who  had  served  under  Commodores  Perry 
and  McDonough  on  the  Lakes ;  and  it  was  the  custom  to  get 
them  in  the  gun-room  at  night,  to  sing  the  old  sailor  ditties  of 
"  The  Constitution  and  the  Guerriere,"  "  The  Wasp  and  the 
Frolic,"  "  The  Enterprise  and  the  Boxer,"  etc.  Of  course  I 
looked  upon  these  men  as  not  only  heroes,  but  Methusalehs  as 
well ! 

Among  my  messmates  was  the  ill-fated  Spencer.  He  was  a 
classmate  of  mine,  and  joined  shortly  after  I  did.  I  remem 
ber  him  as  a  tall,  pale,  delicate-looking  young  man  of  perhaps 
nineteen  years  of  age.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Midship 
man  Spencer  was  accused  of  inciting  a  mutiny  on  board  the 
United  States  brig  Somers,  in  November,  1842.  He  was  tried 
by  a  summary  court-martial  at  sea,  and  hanged  at  the  yard- 
arm  on  the  1st  of  December  following,  in  company  with  the 
boatswain's  mate,  Cromwell,  and  the  gunner's  mate,  Small. 
This  affair  caused  an  immense  sensation  in  the  country,  and 
the  commander,  Alex.  Slidell  Mackenzie,  asked  for  and  ob 
tained  a  Court  of  Inquiry.  His  course  was  sustained  by  it ; 
though  J.  Fenimore  Cooper,  the  novelist,  took  up  the  cudgels, 
and  made  a  savage  attack  upon  him.  Officers  of  the  navy  in 
my  time  generally  declined  to  discuss  this  affair. 

I  saw  the  Somers  launched  at  the  New  York  Navy  Yard  in 
the  spring  of  1842. 

During-  che  winter  the  brig  Boxer  was  fitted  out  for  foreign 
service,  and  I  was  anxious  to  apply  for  her,  but  our  judicious, 
and  kind-hearted  first  lieutenant,  Charles  Armstrong,  would 
not  allow  me  to  do  so. 

It  was  the  luck  in  that  day  of  the  small,  crowded,  ill- 
ventilated  vessels  like  the  Boxer  and  Dolphin  to  be  sent  to  the 
West  Indies,  coast  of  Africa,  and  other  sickly  stations :  on  the 
same  principle  I  suppose,  as  Dickens  says,  that  in  serving  out 
clothing  the  long  men  get  into  the  short  trousers,  and  the 
short  men  into  the  long  ones.  While  the  Boxer  was  fitting 
out  our  junior  lieutenant  was  ordered  to  her,  much  against 
his  will ;  he  tried  very  hard  to  have  his  orders  revoked,  but 


6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL   OFFICER. 

without  success.  He  was  much  loved  by  the  midshipmen,  and 
we  often  went  to  see  him. 

One  afternoon  while  rowing  about  the  dock  for  amusement, 
in  company  with  another  reefer,  I  saw  a  boat  under  the  bows 
of  the  Boxer  smuggling  liquor  to  the  men.  We  went  on 
board  and  reported  it  to  our  friend,  whom  we  found  the  senior 
officer — the  captain  and  executive  officer  being  on  shore.  I 
well  remember  his  kindness  to  us,  boys  as  we  were,  taking  us 
below  and  treating  us  to  cakes.  The  next  morning  shortly 
after  4  o'clock  we  were  aroused  by  the  news  that  the  Boxer's 
men  had  mutinied  and  killed  this  lieutenant.  Our  marines 
were  immediately  sent  on  board,  and  I  went  in  charge  of  the 
boat.  It  was  a  mistake  about  the  mutiny.  Our  friend  had 
gone  on  deck  at  4  A.  M.  to  keep  the  morning  watch,  and  a  few 
minutes  after  he  blew  his  brains  out.  I  saw  his  body  lying 
cold  and  stiff  upon  the  quarter-deck.  No  one  ever  knew  the 
cause  of  the  fatal  act.  Our  fellows  felt  the  death  of  this  officer 
very  much,  and  it  was  some  days  before  we  were  up  to  our 
tricks  and  deviltries  again. 

The  midshipmen  were  constantly  changing  during  the  six 
months  I  was  on  board  this  ship.  As  vessels  were  fitted  out 
drafts  of  reefers  were  sent  to  them,  and  new  ones  were  con 
stantly  arriving.  In  consequence  of  this  our  mess  was  kept 
in  a  disorganized  condition,  and  in  point  of  fact  our  money 
would  give  out  before  the  end  of  the  month  and  we  would  go 
for  several  days  without  regular  meals.  I  have  occasion  to 
remember  this  fact.  I  joined  on  the  28th  day  of  October, 
when  the  mess  was  in  this  condition.  The  caterer  did  not  ask 
me  for  my  mess  bill,  and  I  never  thought  of  offering  it ;  in 
fact,  I  did  not  know  how  the  mess  was  supplied  and  had  an 
idea  that  the  government  furnished  it.  The  day  after  I 
joined,  Friday,  I  was  invited  to  breakfast  with  the  lieutenants 
in  the  ward-room.  I  had  not  much  appetite,  and  when  I  left 
the  table  Mr.  Armstrong  said:  "Youngster,  this  will  never 
do  ;  you  must  learn  to  eat  your  ration."  To  my  extreme  sur 
prise  we  had  no  dinner  in  the  gun-room  that  day,  and  no 


THE  " BY-NO-MEAL"  THEOREM.  7 

supper !  The  table  was  not  even  set !  It  seems  that  during 
this  dies  infaustus  kind  of  a  time  the  midshipmen  lived  upon 
the  bum-boat  and  skirmished  on  the  berth-deck  for  a  living ; 
but  I  knew  nothing  about  that,  and  was  too  proud  and  bash 
ful  to  make  any  inquiries,  and,  strange  to  say,  no  one  thought 
of  giving  me  information.  All  day  Saturday  it  was  the  sajuo 
dies  non.  I  frequently  thought  of  the  ration  alluded  to  by 
Lieutenant  Armstrong  and  wished  I  could  see  it !  On  Sun 
day  after  muster,  Mr.  Neville,  the  sailing  master,  told  me 
my  father  wanted  me  to  come  ashore  in  the  1  o'clock  boat, 
and  said  the  first  lieutenant  would  give  me  permission  to  go 
if  I  asked  him.  I  was  rather  astonished  to  hear  this,  for  I 
had  supposed  that  I  was  to  remain  on  board  three  years  with 
out  going  on  shore,  and  had  been  wondering  how  long  I  could 
hold  out  without  eating.  I  think  that  reading  about  Admiral 
Collingwood's  long  cruises  had  given  me  this  idea.  I  went  on 
shore  and  hurried  up  to  the  City  Hotel ;  the  clerk  informed 
me  that  my  father  had  gone  to  Brooklyn  to  dine,  and  left 
word  for  me  to  follow  him.  I  found  I  had  left  my  purse  on 
board  and  had  no  money  to  pay  my  ferriage :  but  there  was 
a  chance  to  overtake  my  father.  I  caught  up  with  him  on 
Fulton  Street,  just  opposite  the  old  Dutch  Reformed  church 
(I  have  never  passed  it  since  without  recalling  this  incident), 
and  getting  some  money  from  him  went  to  a  stand  and  pur 
chased  some  pies  and  cakes,  which  I  immediately  commenced 
devouring.  My  father  seemed  surprised,  and  well  he  might 
be!  He  asked  me  how  I  liked  it  on  board  ship.  I  told 
him  that  I  did  not  like  it  at  all ;  that  they  had  no  meals 
there.  He,  thinking  that  the  midshipmen  lived,  perhaps,  on 
the  ship's  rations — salt  beef  and  hard-tack — and  that  I  did  not 
like  it,  replied  that  I  would  get  accustomed  to  it.  I  told  him 
no ;  that  I  had  never  been  used  to  going  without  meals  and 
that  I  was  too  old  to  learn ;  it  might  do  for  other  midshipmen, 
but  I  could  not  stand  it ;  and  finally,  as  to  returning  to  that 
ship  and  trying  to  live  without  eating,  I  couldn't  and  I 
wouldn't 


8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

My  father  naturally  failed  to  entirely  comprehend  the  actual 
condition  of  our  mess,  and  we  continued  the  conversation  until 
we  arrived  at  our  destination.  We  had  an  excellent  dinner, 
and  I  rather  suspect  my  performance  at  it  somewhat  astonished 
our  kind  entertainers.  We  had  tarts  for  dessert.  I  ate  about 
twelve,  and  there  was  one  remaining  on  the  dish.  Observing 
me  to  eye  it  rather  hard,  our  kind  hostess  said:  "William 
must  have  this,  because  he  is  a  sailor  boy."  The  sailor  boy 
took  it  accordingly ! 

It  was  now  time  to  set  off  for  the  Battery  as  I  was  ordered 
to  return  in  the  sunset  boat.  I  unwillingly  accompanied  my 
father,  and  though  I  was  dressed  in  a  midshipman's  jacket  and 
trousers,  with  a  smart  dirk  at  my  side,  I  was  a  little  enough 
fellow  to  hold  him  by  the  hand.  Upon  our  arrival  at  Castle 
Garden  we  found  one  of  the  older  midshipmen  who  explained 
the  condition  of  affairs  to  my  father ;  he  said  that  the  next 
day,  being  the  first  of  the  month,  everything  would  be  all 
right,  and  meals  would  be  served  regularly.  Upon  this  assur 
ance  I  consented  to  return,  but  took  the  precaution  to  lay  in 
pies  and  cakes  enough  to  last  me  several  days.  Upon  getting 
back  to  the  gun-room,  one  of  the  older  midshipmen  surprised 
me  by  an  invitation  to  an  oyster  supper  that  night  at  9 
o'clock.  I  cannot  say  I  felt  hungry;  but  I  remembered  Major 
Dalgetty's  advice  as  to  the  laying  in  of  provance,  and  ac 
cepted.  The  next  morning  we  had  a  regular  breakfast  to  my 
great  gratification.  We  always  had  this  to  go  through  with  as 
long  as  I  was  in  the  ship ;  it  was  "  bite  and  cry  "  for  the  last 
three  days  of  every  month ;  but  I  "  knew  the  ropes  "  then,  and 
could  skirmish  with  the  best  of  them,  and  my  experience 
taught  me  to  look  after  the  greenhorns  on  such  occasions  and 
see  that  they  got  enough  to  eat. 

Towards  the  latter  part  of  the  spring  of  1842  I  was  detached 
from  the  North  Carolina  and  ordered  to  the  line-of-battle  ship 
Columbus,  then  fitting  out  at  Boston  for  the  Mediterranean. 

I  bade  adieu  to  the  old  ship  with  many  regrets ;  and  with 
this  shall  close  my  first  chapter,  which  I  found  so  hard  to 


A  POETICAL  SAILMAKER.  9 

commence.  And,  after  all,  when  I  come  to  think  of  it,  this  is 
not  so  much  to  be  wondered  at ;  for  I  once  sailed  with  a  fellow 
— a  poetical  sailmaker — who,  after  we  had  been  only  a  few 
days  at  sea,  remarked  to  me  confidentially,  that  he  would  like 
to  read  me  a  piece  of  his  poetry,  "if  I  wouldn't  laugh  at  it:" 
(the  idea !) 
I  having  duly  promised,  he  read  as  follows : 

"  Far  o'er  the  billow  the  moonlight  is  streaming, 
Dispelling  the  vapor  and  gloom  of  the  night,'* 

and  then  stopped,  with  the  remark  that  "  that  was  as  far  as  he 
had  got :"  and  though  I  continued  with  him  for  two  years  he 
never  got  any  farther  !  Basta. 

1* 


10        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MY  FIEST  CEUISE — THE  "  COLUMBUS  74  "  —GHOSTS — CROSS  THE  ATLANTIC — 
GIBEALTAE — GUAEDA  COSTA  AND  SMUGGLEES — POET  MAHON — ASSASSI 
NATION  OF  ME.  PATTERSON — LIEUTENANT  CHARLES  G.  HUNTEE — SQUAD- 
EON  WINTEES  IN  GENOA— PASSED  MIDSHIPMEN  BEALE  AND  MURRAY—: 
THE  BEIG  "SOMEES" — A  DUEL — EETUEN  TO  MAHON — THE  "  DELAWAEE 
74" — TOULON— CAPE  DE  GATA— GIBEALTAE  AGAIN— MADEIEA — SAIL 
FOE  THE  COAST  OF  BRAZIL— SATUEDAY-NIGHT  YAENS — TAEGET  PRAC 
TICE — IMPEOVEMENTS  IN  GUNNERY — CAPTAIN  MAREYATT  AND  AMERI 
CAN  THUNDER. 

THE  Columbus  was  an  old-fashioned  74,  built  about  the 
beginning  of  the  century.  She  carried  long  32-pounders  on 
her  main  and  lower  gun  decks,  and  32-pounder  carronades  on 
her  spar  deck.  She  had  four  8-inch  shell  guns,  or  Paixhams 
as  they  were  called  from  their  inventor,  on  the  main  deck 
amidships,  and  the  same  number  on  the  lower  deck.  She 
had  made  but  one  short  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean,  which 
was  said  to  have  been  specially  marked  by  two  incidents: 
first,  in  crossing  the  Atlantic,  she  had  "  fetched  a  compass  " 
around  about  a  fly-speck  on  the  chart  which  the  Commodore 
took  to  be  a  rock;  and  secondly,  her  false  keel  getting 
slued  athwartships  she  would  neither  tack,  veer  nor  sail. 
She  was  called  at  that  time  an  unlucky  ship.  It  was  fur 
thermore  said  by  the  men  that  a  woman  and  child  had  been 
murdered  on  her  orlop  deck  while  she  was  laid  up  in  ordinary 
at  the  Navy  Yard. 

In  company  with  many  other  midshipmen  I  reported  for 
her  early  in  the  summer  of  1842,  and  as  she  was  not  ready  for 
her  officers  and  men  we  took  up  our  quarters  at  the  old 
National  Hotel  in  Charlestown.  Here  we  remained  but  a 
short  time  in  consequence  of  our  mad  horseback  rides ;  for 


GHOSTS.  11 

some  twenty  of  us  happening  to  gallop  past  the  commodore's 
house  on  a  Sunday,  we  were  next  day  ordered  on  board  the 
receiving  ship  Ohio  for  "  safe  keeping." 

Some  time  in  July,  however,  the  Columbus  was  put  in  com 
mission  and  we  all  went  on  board. 

I  suppose  that  a  finer  body  of  men  than  the  Columbus'  crew 
never  trod  a  ship's  deck.  In  all  my  experience  I  have  never 
seen  their  equal.  Some  eight  hundred  strong  they  could,  as 
the  boatswain  said,  "tear  the  ship  to  pieces."  She  was 
commanded  by  Captain  William  H.  Spencer,  and  had  a 
full  complement  of  officers,  among  whom  were  eight  passed 
midshipmen,  and  about  thirty  midshipmen — mostly  green. 
In  consequence  of  the  ship  having  a  bad  name  the  men 
commenced  to  desert  while  lying  in  the  stream  and  we  were 
obliged  to  row  guard  around  her  at  night  to  prevent  it.  In 
performing  this  duty  I  frequently  heard  the  men  in  the  boat 
declare  that  they  heard  a  baby  crying  on  the  orlop  deck — 
and  (as  the  old  sailor  says)  "  being  sailor-men,  'taint  likely 
they  lied  about  it ; "  but  I  never  heard  it  myself.  The  orlop 
deck,  which  was  below  the  water-line,  and  very  dark  and 
gloomy-looking  even  in  the  day-time,  had  a  peculiarly  ghostly 
appearance  at  night,  and  indeed  a  ghost  was  frequently 
seen  descending  the  ladder  of  the  fore-hatch  in  the  "wee 
short  hour  ayont  the  twal,"  (whatever  that  may  be)  and  dis 
appearing  through  the  gratings  which  covered  the  fore-hold. 
It  was  so  fully  believed  that  it  became  difficult  at  last  to 
get  a  marine  to  walk  that  lonesome  post ;  but  after  crossing 
the  Atlantic  the  story  died  out,  and  we  heard  no  more  about 
ghosts ;  and  now  I  come  to  think  about  it  one  of  our  passed 
midshipmen  was  detached  about  that  time ! 

Speaking  of  ghosts  reminds  me  of  a  singular  circumstance 
which  happened  to  a  great-uncle  of  mine. 

He  had  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  rose  to  be  a 
brigadier-general  in  the  the  U.  S.  Army.  He  was  said  to  be 
a  very  brave  man ;  but  be  that  as  it  may,  one  night  while 
sleeping,  with  his  door  wide  open  as  was  his  habit,  a  ghost 


12        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

appeared  to  him  and  said,  "  Aleck,  Aleck,  get  up ! — Aleck, 
Aleck!"  Just  then  he  awakened  and  replied  "Eh!"  then 
instantly  recollecting  that  it  was  bad  luck  to  answer  a  ghost,  he 
turned  it  off  into,  "  Eh  diddle  dinkum  dido,"  as  though  he  was 
singing.  At  this — which  showed  his  presence  of  mind  at 
least — t;he  ghost  disappeared. 

We  sailed  from  Boston  on  the  29th  day  of  August,  1842, 
and  after  a  very  smooth  passage  across  the  Atlantic  arrived  at 
Gibraltar,  which  I  shall  always  especially  remember  as  being 
the  first  foreign  port  I  ever  visited. 

Gibraltar  is  a  rocky  promontory,  some  1400  feet  high,  at 
the  southern  extremity  of  Spain.  It  is  at  the  entrance  to  the 
Mediterranean  sea,  and  the  straits  here  are  fifteen  miles  wide. 
It  is  strongly  fortified  on  the  western  front,  and  its  galleries, 
cut  out  of  solid  rock,  are  one  of  the  sights  of  the  world.  The 
eastern  face  is  entirely  inaccessible  to  assault.  The  town  is  built 
at  the  foot  of  the  promontory,  and  the  bay  is  nine  miles  across. 
The  name  comes  from  the  Arabic  words  gibel  al  Tarif  (the 
rock  of  Tarif)  :  the  name  of  the  general  who  took  it  in  711. 
The  Spanish  took  it  in  1302,  and  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
English  under  Admiral  Kooke  in  1704.  In  1779  the  Spanish 
made  a  desperate  effort  to  recover  it.  It  was  defended  by 
General  George  Eliott.  The  siege  lasted  three  years,  and  has 
been  described  by  Drinkwater  whose  book  is  a  model  of  its 
kind.  The  rock  is  separated  from  the  main  by  a  low,  sandy 
neck  of  land  called  the  neutral  ground.  At  St.  Roche  and 
Algeziras  the  Spaniards  have  erected  extensive  fortifications 
and  a  large  garrison  is  kept.  The  English  garrison  Gibraltar 
with  their  best  troops. 

Gibraltar  is  generally  said  to  command  the  straits ;  but  this 
must  be  understood  in  a  "  Pickwickian  sense  "  at  the  present 
day.  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  steamers  going  through  at 
any  time.  It  is  valuable  to  the  British  as  a  depot  for  stores, 
and  the  harbor  gives  protection  to  their  vessels,  just  as  Malta 
does.  The  current  runs  in  from  the  ocean  at  all  times — a  sin 
gular  fact ; — the  surplus  water  is  probably  carried  out  by  an 
under  current. 


GUARDA  COSTA  AND  SMUGGLERS.  13 

A  stay  here  of  a  few  days  is  an  excellent  introduction  to 
the  Mediterranean ;  for,  I  believe,  there  are  natives  of  most  of 
the  countries  of  Europe  to  be  met  with  ;  as  well  as  many  in 
habitants  of  Asia  and  Africa.  I  spent  many  hours  in  the  cap 
tain's  gig  at  the  mole,  and  saw  Englishmen,  Spaniards,  French 
men,  Russians,  Germans,  Italians,  Turks,  Jews,  Armenians, 
Egyptians,  Arabs,  Moors  and  Negroes  intermingled.  A  novel 
sight  to  any  one,  but  especially  to  a  greenhorn ! 

We  sailed  from  Gibraltar  after  a  short  stay  for  Port  Mahon. 
The  day  after  sailing  we  saw  a  Spanish  Guarda  Costa  chasing 
a  large  smugglers'  boat.  The  smugglers  ran  under  our  lee  for 
protection,  and  as  we  were  sailing  only  about  four  knots  an 
hour  they  easily  kept  up  with  us  with  their  oars.  There  were 
about  twenty  men  in  the  boat,  and  fine,  hearty-looking  fellows 
they  were,  and  their  red  caps  gave  them  a  most  picturesque 
appearance.  Our  captain  took  no  notice  of  them,  and  the 
Guarda  Costa  did  not  approach  any  nearer,  but  sailed  along 
in  company.  After  night  fell  the  smugglers  left  us,  and  I  pre 
sume  made  for  the  shore. 

Gibraltar  is  a  free  port,  and  there  was  at  that  time  much 
smuggling  done  between  it  and  Algeziras  and  other  Spanish 
ports. 

Upon  our  arrival  off  Port  Mahon  we  fell  in  with  the  U.  S. 
frigate  Congress,  a  new  frigate  on  her  first  cruise.  She  was 
built  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  at  that  time  was  said  to  be  the 
largest  frigate  afloat.  We  were  struck  by  a  heavy  squall  that 
afternoon,  the  first  I  had  ever  seen.  The  Columbus  came  out 
of  it  all  right ;  as  she  did  out  of  all  kinds  of  weather.  Though 
an  old-fashioned  ship  she  was  the  finest  sea-boat  I  have  ever 
seen ;  moreover  she  sailed  well  and  could  be  handled  like  a 
pilot  boat.  It  would  surprise  some  of  the  young  officers  who 
have  never  sailed  in  anything  but  the  long,  narrow  ships  of 
the  present  navy  to  see  one  of  these  old-time  ships  beating  in 
a  narrow  channel.  Upon  our  arrival  at  Mahon  we  found  the 
entire  squadron,  consisting  of  the  frigate  Congress  and  sloops- 
of-war  Fairfield  and  Preble,  assembled  there.  Commodore 


14        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Charles  Morgan,  who  commanded  the  squadron,  now  hoisted 
his  flag  aboard  our  ship,  and  I  was  appointed  his  Aid. 

Port  Mahon  is  on  the  island  of  Minorca.  Its  harbor  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  Mediterranean — a  natural  mole  runs  along 
the  shore,  and  is  occupied  by  shops  with  naval  stores.  At  the 
time  of  our  visit  provisions  and  clothing  were  to  be  had  very 
cheap  and  in  great  abundance. 

It  was  off  Mahon  that  Admiral  John  Byng  had  a  partial 
engagement  with  the  French  squadron  in  May,  1756;  for  his 
conduct  on  this  occasion  he  was  shot  on  board  the  Monarch  at 
Spithead,  March  14,  1757.  Voltaire  says  this  was  done  "pour 
encourager  les  autres  !" 

The  article  of  war  under  which  Byng  was  tried,  says :  "  If 
any  person,  through  cowardice,  disaffection  or  negligence,  shall 
fail  to  put  his  ship  in  readiness  for  battle,  etc.,  he  shall  suffer 
death."  The  admiral  was  acquitted  of  cowardice  and  disaffec 
tion,  but  found  guilty  of  negligence,  which,  under  the  articles 
of  war,  required  a  sentence  of  death.  It  is  well  known  now, 
however,  that  he  was  shot  to  satisfy  the  clamors  of  a  political 
party.  Not  the  only  man  or  woman  so  sacrificed.  In  point  of 
fact  it  was  the  admiral's  second-in-command  who  acted  badly 
in  not  supporting  him,  and  who  richly  deserved  punishment, 
b^.t  got  off  scot  free. 

Up  to  this  time  Mahon  had  been  the  wintering  port  of  the 
American  squadron  and  we  were  making  our  preparations  for 
it  when  a  melancholy  event  took  place :  the  sailing-master  of 
the  Congress,  Mr.  Patterson,  was  assassinated ! 

He  had  been  on  shore  and  was  returning  to  his  ship  very 
late  at  night — some  time  in  the  mid-watch  in  fact — and  was 
descending  the  hill  by  the  winding  path  which  led  to  the  land 
ing-place  of  his  boat.  Following  Mr.  Patterson  at  some  little 
distance  were  Lieutenant  Charles  G.  Hunter  and  the  surgeon 
of  the  Fairfield ;  they  were  startled  at  hearing  Mr.  Patterson 
cry  out,  and  as  they  quickened  their  steps,  he  met  them  with 
the  expression :  "  The  villain  has  murdered  me,"  and  fell  dead 
at  their  feet.  He  had  two,  or,  perhaps  three  stabs  directly 


SQUADRON  WINTERS  IN  GENOA.  15 

through  his  heart,  either  of  which,  the  doctor  said,  would  have 
killed  him;  so  that  the  assassin  was  no  novice  in  the  art. 
While  the  doctor  knelt  down  by  the  side  of  the  murdered 
officer,  Hunter  drew  his  pistol  and  started  in  pursuit  of  the 
murderer.  He  saw  his  shadow  in  the  moonlight  as  he  ran 
towards  the  house  of  Blazes  (as  the  sailors  called  it),  but  could 
not  get  a  shot  at  him,  and  he  finally  returned  to  the  assistance 
of  the  doctor.  I  shall  have  something  more  to  say  of  this 
Lieutenant  Hunter  when  I  come  to  relate  some  incidents  of 
the  Mexican  war. 

There  was  a  large  number  of  Spanish  troops  in  Mahon  at 
this  time,  and  it  was  thought  that  the  murder  was  committed 
by  a  soldier  ;  but  the  truth  was  never  known — by  us,  at  least. 
I  think  it  was  in  consequence  of  this  affair  that  the  commo 
dore  decided  not  to  winter  in  Mahon;  and  the  American 
squadron  has  never  wintered  there  since. 

A  few  days  after  the  burial  of  Mr.  Patterson  we  sailed  in 
company  with  the  squadron  for  Spezia,  it  was  said ;  but  in 
passing  near  by  Genoa  it  presented  so  inviting  an  appearance 
that  the  commodore  was  induced  to  go  in,  and  finally  decided 
to  winter  there.  The  vessels  were  moored  head  and  stern 
under  the  lee  of  the  mole,  and  we  remained  here  in  safety  all 
the  winter.  We  rode  out  several  heavy  gales  and  had  plenty 
of  exercise  in  housing  topmasts  and  sending  down  lower  yards. 
Take  it  all  in  all  it  was  the  best  disciplined  squadron  I  have 
ever  served  in,  and  it  was  a  credit  to  the  country. 

Genoa  being  the  birth-place  of  Columbus,  our  ship  attracted 
particular  attention,  and  we  were  crowded  with  visitors  and 
overwhelmed  with  invitations.  We  in  the  steerage  were  kept 
under  pretty  taut  discipline,  and  were  only  occasionally  per 
mitted  to  visit  the  shore.  Our  mornings  were  spent  on  the 
half-deck,  under  the  professor  of  mathematics,  and  the  rest  of 
our  time  was  taken  up  by  our  watches  and  writing  our  log 
books,  or  journals.  For  this  reason  I  do  not  know  much 
about  Genoa,  and  therefore  (contrary  to  the  custom  of  some 
travelers)  will  not  attempt  to  describe  it. 


16        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

One  incident  I  will  relate  which  occurred  in  the  harbor : 
one  dark,  stormy  night  while  a  number  of  us  were  sitting  in 
the  bow  port  a  cry  of  "man  overboard "  was  heard  from  the 
Congress,  lying  half  a  cable's  length  inside  of  us.  Passed 
Midshipman  E.  F.  Beale  sprung  out  of  the  port,  swam  to  the 
man,  and  held  him  until  a  boat  picked  them  both  up.  To  say 
nothing  of  the  gallantry  of  the  act,  it  always  struck  me  as 
most  remarkable  that  on  so  dark  a  night  he  should  have  found 
the  man,  and  that  afterwards  the  boat  should  have  found 
them  both !  This  was  not  the  first  time  that  Mr.  Beale  had 
rescued  a  man  from  drowning.  He  resigned  from  the  navy  a 
few  years  after  this  cruise,  and  highly  distinguished  himself  in 
California  during  the  war  with  Mexico.  He  is  now  General 
Beale,  and  resides  in  the  city  of  Washington. 

Our  ship  was  fortunate  in  having  a  remarkably  fine  set  of 
passed  midshipmen,  and  the  midshipmen  were  still  more  for 
tunate  from  their  close  association  with  them.  One  can  readily 
understand  the  influence  they  would  naturally  exert  over  a 
set  of  boys  ranging  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age. 
The  tone  of  the  steerage  was  given  by  them.  Among  the 
number  was  Francis  Key  Murray,  than  whom  a  nobler  spirit 
never  served  under  the  United  States  flag.  Frank,  generous, 
brave,  and  self-contained  in  a  remarkable  degree,  he  influenced 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact;  he  had  "the  heart  to 
conceive,  the  understanding  to  direct,  and  the  hand  to  execute." 
It  was  his  fortune  to  be  thrown  early  in  life  in  responsible 
and  critical  situations.  In  a  fight  with  the  Seminole  Indians 
at  Indian  Key,  Florida,  where  he  had  only  a  few  sick  and  con 
valescent  men  to  aid  him ;  in  riding  out  a  gale  of  wind  off 
Cape  Hatteras  in  the  brig  Washington,  where  his  commander, 
Lieutenant  George  Bache,  and  a  number  of  men  were  washed 
overboard  and -drowned ;  and  in  command  of  the  Coast  Survey 
steamer  Jefferson,  shipwrecked  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  he 
showed  in  these  as  in  every  other  situation  of  his  life  the  same 
heroic  qualities.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  honored  by 
his  friendship.  He  lived  but  a  few  years  after  the  close  of  the 


A  DUEL.  17 

civil  war,  and  to  borrow  the  words  of  General  Harry  Lee  on 
a  similar  occasion  (for  my  feeble  pen  is  unequal  to  the  task), 
he  died  "  embalmed  in  the  tears  of  his  faithful  comrades,  and 
honored  by  the  regret  of  the  whole  navy." 

While  in  Genoa  we  got  the  news  of  the  unfortunate  affair  of 
the  brig  Somers,  before  alluded  to.  It  caused  much  excite 
ment  on  board  our  ship,  as  our  captain  was  the  uncle  of  Mid 
shipman  Spencer,  and  the  captain's  clerk  was  his  brother. 
Knowing  as  I  did  most  of  the  officers  of  the  Somers,  I  always 
felt  much  interest  in  the  matter.  Different  opinions  have  been 
held  as  to  the  action  of  Captain  Mackenzie,  but  I  do  not  pro 
pose  to  discuss  it. 

Only  a  few  months  ago  I  saw  the  death  announced  of  Mr. 
Deslondes,  who  was  a  midshipman  in  the  Somers.  I  expect  he 
was  the  last  survivor  among  the  officers.  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  the  Somers  sunk  in  a  squall  off  Vera  Cruz,  (as  I  shall 
hereafter  describe)  ;  and  most  of  the  officers  who  were  in  her 
at  the  time  of  the  mutiny  died  sudden  and  tragic  deaths. 

During  the  winter  here  two  of  our  midshipmen  broke  upon 
the  monotony  by  fighting  a  duel,  in  which  one  was  badly 
wounded  in  the  knee,  though  he  subsequently  recovered.  There 
was  nothing  singular  in  their  fighting  a  duel,  for  midshipmen 
often  took  a  shot  at  each  other  in  that  day;  but  in  this  case 
the  principals  and  seconds  all  went  out  in  the  same  carriage, 
and  not  getting  into  the  country  as  soon  as  they  expected,  the 
seconds  decided  to  post  their  men  in  the  street,  and  let  them 
fight  there;  this  they  did  with  the  result  mentioned;  after 
which  they  all  returned  in  the  same  carriage  again  in  a  very 
amicable  manner.  The  Genoese  marveled  much  at  the  strange 
conduct  of  these  North  Americans,  and  said  it  was  not  their 
costumbre  del  pals.  No  notice  was  taken  of  the  matter  by 
either  the  American  or  Genoese  authorities. 

In  the  spring  of  1843  the  squadron  sailed  for  Mahon.  Upon 
our  arrival  we  went  busily  to  work  filling  up  our  provisions 
and  water  for  a  long  cruise  up  the  Levant ;  for  rumor  said  the 
Delaware,  74,  bearing  the  flag  of  Commodore  Charles  Morris, 


18        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

was  coming  over  from  the  coast  of  Brazil  to  relieve  us,  and  we 
were  to  take  her  place  on  that  station ;  which  was  not  to  our 
liking.  We  were  to  fill  up  and  get  off  before  the  arrival  of 
the  Delaware,  and  would  make  a  long  summer  cruise  before 
we  could  be  found,  at  least  that  was  the  "  galley  news."  How 
ever,  one  fine  morning  the  Delaware  arrived  with  our  orders 
to  proceed  to  the  coast  of  Brazil. 

We  sailed  with  the  entire  squadron,  parted  company  the 
second  day  out,  and  went  to  Toulon.  From  Toulon  we  re 
turned  to  Mahon,  remained  a  few  days  and  sailed  for  Gibraltar. 
We  had  the  usual  blow  off  Cape  de  Gata,  celebrated  in  the 
old  sailor  song  of  "  Off  Cape  de  Gatte  I  lost  my  hat,  and  where 
do  you  think  I  found  it  ?" 

During  the  blockade  of  Toulon  by  the  British  squadron  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  last  century  vessels  bound  thence  to  Gib 
raltar  for  stores  would  frequently  find  themselves  unable  to 
beat  round  this  cape,  and  would  bear  up  for  one  of  the  Italian 
ports  for  supplies — here  the  sailors  received  instead  of  rum  a 
kind  of  wine  they  did  not  like,  and  which  they  called  black 
strap  :  from  this  they  came  to  say  on  such  occasions  that  they 
were  black-strapped  off  the  cape.  We  beat  round  in  a  few  days 
and  arrived  at  Gibraltar.  Our  commodore  used  to  go  011 
shore  every  evening  about  sunset,  and  I  passed  most  of  the 
nights  waiting  for  him  in  the  barge  at  the  "  ragged  staff."  We 
finally  sailed  for  Eio  Janeiro,  touching  en  route  at  the  delight 
ful  island  of  Madeira. 

I  recall  with  much  pleasure  the  pleasant  Saturday  nights 
on  this  passage.  I  was  a  member  of  the  passed  midshipmen's 
mess,  some  members  of  which  sang  and  played  upon  the  guitar, 
and  all  spun  a  good  yarn. 

Among  our  best  raconteurs  were  passed  midshipman  J.  Ho- 
gan  Brown  and  Mr.  James  Tilton.  This  latter  gentleman  had 
a  varied  experience ;  he  entered  the  navy  as  a  captain's  clerk ; 
went  round  the  world  in  the  U.  S.  brig  Perry,  as  purser; 
served  through  General  Scott's  campaign  in  Mexico  as  captain 
of  voltigours ;  became  civil  engineer,  surveyor  general  of  Wash- 


SATURDAY-NIGHT  YARNS.  19 

ington  territory,  and  finally  died  in  Washington  city.    He  was 
a  gallant  officer  and  a  chivalric  man. 

One  of  his  best  stories,  told  to  me  in  after  years,  was  of 
Brown  himself?  Brown  was  the  navigator  of  the  brig  Perry, 
and  on  a  passage  from  China  to  Mexico  he  allowed  the  chro 
nometers  (by  which  they  found  the  longitude)  to  run  down. 
They  were  bound  to  San  Bias,  and  running  to  make  Cape  St. 
Lucas,  which  is  high  and  can  be  seen  a  long  way  off.  The 
captain,  Jot  Stone  Paine,  was  not  told  that  the  chronometers 
had  run  down  and  that  they  were  depending  on  dead  reckoning 
for  the  longitude.  Brown  got  on  the  parallel  of  the  Cape, 
and  steering  due  east  kept  a  good  lookout  ahead.  He  kept 
a  foretopman  at  the  masthead  with  orders  to  come  down  and 
tell  him  quietly  when  he  saw  the  land,  and  not  otherwise  to 
announce  it — promising  him  a  bottle  of  whiskey  in  return. 
Accordingly  one  day  shortly  before  twelve  o'clock  the  fore 
topman  came  down  and  reported  the  land  in  sight  from  aloft. 
He  was  told  by  Brown  to  return  to  the  masthead,  and  when 
the  bell  struck  one  to  report  it  in  the  usual  manner.  A  little 
after  twelve  o'clock  the  captain  came  out  of  the  cabin  and 
said :  "  Well,  Mr.  Brown,  when  do  you  think  we  will  make 
the  land?" 

"  We  will  make  the  land,  sir,"  said  Brown,  "  at  half-past 
twelve  o'clock,"  (one  bell). 

"  We  will,  eh  ? "  said  the  captain.  "  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Brown 
in  his  most  pompous  manner,  "  at  half-past  twelve  precisely." 

Just  then  the  bell  struck,  and  the  man  at  the  masthead 
roared  out  in  a  stentorian  voice,  "  Land  ho !  " 

"By  George,"  said  Captain  Jot,  "that's  the  most  re 
markable  landfall  I  ever  made ! "  and  he  afterwards  told  the 
first-lieutenant  that  he  considered  Brown  one  of  the  most 
skilful  navigators  he  had  ever  met ! 

Tilton  told  me  also  that  one  night,  in  the  Perry,  (Saturday 
night  be  it  noted)  the  fellows  insisted  upon  looking  over 
Brown's  journal,  which  they  had  noticed  he  wrote  up  every 
night.  After  some  resistance  on  Brown's  part  one  of  the  mess 


20         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

opened  it,  and  began  to  read  aloud.  Tilton  said  the  yarns  in 
it  all  commenced  in  this  way :  "  being  once  in  Berlin,"  or 
"  happening  to  remain  overnight  in  St.  Petersburg,"  etc.  As 
Brown  had  never  been  in  any  of  the  places  referred  to,  he 
was  taken  to  task,  and  finally  said  that  wThen  he  returned  from 
a  cruise  and  went  to  his  home  in  Alabama,  he  frequently 
dined  out  and  was  always  expected  to  tell  of  his  travels ;  so 
he  made  it  a  practice  to  copy  all  the  yarns  he  heard  in  the 
mess  in  his  journal  for  future  reference. 

One  of  Brown's  stories  was  that  when  he  was  first  appointed, 
he  reported  for  duty  on  board  the  schooner  Experiment,  at  the 
navy  yard,  Philadelphia ;  he  was  put  in  charge  of  the  deck  to 
keep  the  first  watch,  from  8  p.  M.  to  midnight,  though  he  had 
never  seen  a  man-of-war  before  in  his  life.  About  9  o'clock 
the  captain  put  his  head  out  of  the  cabin  door  and  said : 
"  Quarter-master,  how  is  the  hawse  f"  (this  was  simply  to  in 
quire  into  the  state  of  the  cables  by  which  the  vessel  was 
anchored).  "  The  hawse  is  all  right,  sir,"  answered  the  quarter 
master.  "  Hello !"  says  Brown  to  himself,  "  they  have  a  horse 
on  board,  it  seems,"  and  he  went  forward  to  take  a  look  at 
him !  Not  finding  him,  he  returned  to  the  quarter-deck  and 
asked  the  quarter-master  whether  the  captain  had  not  asked 
him  as  to  the  condition  of  the  horse.  "  Yes,  sir,"  he  replied, 
"  the  hawse  is  all  right !"  "  Well,"  says  Brown,  "  I  so  under 
stood  you,"  and  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  watch  looking 
for  him! 

Taking  into   consideration  what   I   have  said   concerning  / 
Brown's  journal,  this  may  have  happened  to  some  other  officer : 
especially  as  the  records  of  the  Navy  Department  show  that 
Brown's  first  orders  were  to  the  sloop-of-war  Levant,  at  Pen- 
sacola ! 

On  the  passage  from  Madeira  to  Rio  Janeiro  we  had  target 
practice  for  the  first  time.  I  well  remember  the  preparations 
for  it ;  it  took  so  long  to  get  ready  for  the  great  event  that  we 
seemed  to  require  a  resting  spell  of  six  months  before  ^we  tried 
it  again.  Then,  shells  were  a  great  bother  to  us ;  as  they  wero 


IMPR  0  YEMENIS  IN  G  UN  NEE  Y.  2 1 

kept  in  the  shell-room,  and  no  one  was  allowed  even  to  look  at 
them;  it  seemed  to  be  a  question  with  the  division-officers 
whether  the  fuse  went  in  first  or  the  sabot ;  or  whether  the  fuse 
should  be  ignited  before  putting  the  shell  in  the  gun  or  not ! 
However,  we  used  to  fire  them  off,  though  I  cannot  say  I  ever 
saw  them  hit  anything. 

We  were  great  in  running  the  guns  in  and  out  rapidly,  but 
some  parts  of  the  "  manual "  would  strike  an  officer  of  these 
days  as  very  ridiculous;  for  instance,  after  the  guns  were 
pointed,  the  orders  were,  very  slowly  and  deliberately,  "  han 
dle  your  match  and  lockstring,"  cock  your  lock,"  "  blow  your 
match,"  "  stand  by," — "  fire  "  :  and  if  the  ship  did  not  remain 
stationary  all  this  time  it  was  not  our  fault.  We  were  great, 
too,  in  "  boarding  "  and  "  repelling  boarders  "  in  those  days, 
and  to  see  the  Columbus'  officers  and  crew  engaged  in  this 
business  was  a  sight  to  behold. 

The  Mexican  war  taught  us  a  good  deal  about  gunnery,  and 
what  we  did  not  learn  then  we  picked  up  in  the  civil  war, 
when  greater  advances  were  made  in  ordnance,  rams,  and  tor 
pedoes  in  four  years  than  the  European  nations  had  made  in 
centuries.  But  although  the  navy  has  made  such  gigantic 
strides  in  gunnery  it  has  not  improved  in  ships  and  seamen ; 
indeed,  I  was  told  only  the  other  day  that  an  old  growl  of  a 
boatswain  was  heard  to  say :  "  Formerly  we  had  wooden  ships 
and  iron  men ;  now  we  have  iron  ships  and  wooden  men !" 

As  I  have  said  before,  the  navy  as  it  was  in  1843  could 
not  be  better  described,  as  to  its  personnel,  than  by  Captain 
Marryatt  in  his  novels. 

Speaking  of  him  reminds  me  of  an  anecdote  I  read  which 
happened  while  he  was  travelling  in  this  country.  He  was  in 
a  small  town  in  New  England,  and  his  pompous  manner  did 
not  tend  to  make  him  popular.  A  thunder  storm  coming  up, 
the  captain  said  in  a  condescending  manner  to  the  landlord : 
"  You  have  very  heavy  thunder  in  this  country  !"  "  Well ! 
we  dew,  considerin'  the  number  of  inhabitants,"  was  the  reply. 


22        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  III. 

AREIVAL  AT  RIO  DE  JANEIRO — THE  EAST  INDIA  SQUADRON — ANECDOTES 
OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812 — THE  BRAZIL  STATION — SLAVERS  — THE  HARBOR 
OF  RIO  JANEIRO — MARRIAGE  OF  THE  EMPEROR  DOM  PEDRO  —SALUTES 
— PROMOTIONS  IN  THE  SQUADRON — MONTE  VIDEO — THE  BISHOP  OF 
HONOLULU — VISIT  TO  BUENOS  AYRES  — ROSAS,  THE  DICTATOR — LA  SEXO- 
RITA  MANUELITA — A  DAY  AT  ROSAS*  QUINTA — RETURN  TO  RIO — ARRI 
VAL  OF  THE  FRIGATE  RARITAN — SANDY  THOMPSON'S  WILL — RETURN 
TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

WE  arrived  off  Rio  de  Janeiro  some  time  in  July,  1843,  and 
were  three  days  getting  in  the  harbor ;  indeed,  we  had  like  to 
have  never  gotten  into  port,  like  the  flying  Dutchman,  for  our 
captain  would  stand  in  all  day  with  the  sea  breeze,  and  stand 
out  all  night  Avith  the  land  breeze ;  then  in  the  morning  we 
would  find  ourselves  becalmed  like  "  Barney's  brig  with  both 
main  tacks  aboard ;"  we  began  at  last  to  think  we  should  never 
get  in  until  the  days  were  longer  than  the  nights.  However,  on 
the  third  day  towards  sunset  we  succeeded  in  anchoring  on  the 
"  rolling  ground"  just  outside  the  harbor,  and  the  most  danger 
ous  anchorage  we  could  have  selected.  The  next  afternoon 
we  went  in  with  the  sea  breeze,  and  made  a  beautiful  "  come 
to"  by  running  in  with  royals  and  stun'-sails  set  both  sides, 
taking  in  everything  together,  and  making  a  flying  moor.  It 
was  not  an  uncommon  sight  to  see  a  ship  do  this  at  that  time. 

We  found  in  Rio  the  squadron  intended  for  the  East  Indies, 
consisting  of  the  frigate  Brandywme  and  the  sloop  of  war  St. 
Louis,  commanded  by  my  father ;  and  I  remember  no  happier 
moment  of  my  life  than  the  visit  to  the  Brandywine  the  night 
of  our  arrival. 

Upon  his  return  from  this  cruise  my  father  told  me  an  in 
teresting  episode  in  his  naval  career.  Immediately  after  the 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  23 

declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  in  1812,  he  sailed  as 
junior  lieutenant  of  the  U.  S.  brig  Nautilus,  commanded  by 
Captain  Crane — the  day  after  sailing  from  New  York  they 
found  themselves  enveloped  in  a  thick  fog,  and  upon  its  lifting 
discovered  that  they  were  close  under  the  guns  of  the  Africa, 
74,  the  flag  ship  of  the  British  squadron.  Of  course  the  brig 
was  captured,  and  they  were  on  board  the  Africa  during  the 
celebrated  chase  of  the  U.  S.  frigate  Constitution  by  the 
English  squadron.  My  father  told  me  that  the  officers  of  the 
Africa  were  very  desirous  that  Captain  Dacres,  who  was  con 
sidered  a  very  dashing  officer,  should  get  alongside  her  with 
the  Guerriere.  The  Guerriere  did  get  alongside  her  on  the 
19th  of  August  of  the  same  year,  and  the  result  is  well  known. 
But  to  my  story :  On  the  way  to  Halifax  one  of  the  Africa's 
lieutenants  observing  my  father  to  be  very  low-spirited  in 
quired  what  the  matter  was ;  he  replied  that  he  felt  badly  at 
being  taken  prisoner,  and  moreover  had  no  money.  The 
Englishman  told  him  that  his  father  lived  in  Halifax  and 
would  cash  any  drafts  he  chose  to  draw  upon  his  father  in 
Virginia.  This  gentleman's  family  were  exceedingly  kind  and 
hospitable  to  the  officers  of  the  Nautilus  during  their  short 
stay  in  Halifax,  and  especially  so  to  my  father. 

When  the  Brandywine  arrived  at  Bombay  on  the  cruise  I 
have  just  alluded  to,  the  British  commodore,  who  commanded 
the  squadron  there,  came  on  board  to  pay  the  customary  visit 
of  civility,  and  my  father  recognized  him  as  his  old  friend  of 
the  Africa;  they  had  not  met  since  parting  in  Halifax  in  1812, 
and  were  now  both  in  command  of  their  first  squadrons. 

The  Brandywine  and  her  consort,  the  St.  Louis,  sailed  for 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  shortly  after  our  arrival.  Some  fifteen 
days  afterwards  wre  were  surprised  at  seeing  the  St.  Louis 
coining  back  alone,  and  my  heart  sank  as  we  made  out  her 
"  number."  I  could  only  think  that  the  Brandywine  had 
gone  down  wTith  all  hands.  A  boat  soon  came  from  her  with 
the  information  that  she  had  sprung  a  leak  and  returned  for 
repairs.  She  sailed  again  in  about  ten  days,  and  got  safely  to 


24         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

China,  where  her  captain  left  her  and  was  succeeded  by  a  bet 
ter  man. 

The  brig  Perry  came  out  from  Norfolk,  where  she  was  built, 
about  this  time,  bound  to  the  East  Indies ;  and  so  many  of 
her  officers  left  her  that  she  was  almost  officered  from  our 
ship.  Our  acting  commander,  Edward  C.  Tilton,  went  as 
her  captain ;  our  junior  lieutenant,  Horace  N.  Harrison,  as 
her  first  lieutenant;  our  sailing  master,  John  C.  Ho  well,  as 
her  junior  lieutenant,  and  our  captain's  clerk,  James  M.  Til- 
ton,  went  as  her  purser. 

These  new  brigs  were  not  looked  upon  with  favor  in  the 
navy,  being  thought  unsafe.  The  Perry,  however,  made  the 
cruise  around  the  wrorld  and  two  cruises  on  the  coast  of 
Africa.  She  was  finally  lost  off  our  coast  during  the  civil 
war.  I  think  she  capsized  and  went  down  with  all  hands. 

Commodore  Charles  Morgan  left  us  here,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Commodore  Daniel  Turner:  an  officer  who  had  distin 
guished  himself  in  the  command  of  the  schooner  Caledonia  at 
the  battle  of  lake  Erie.  He  was  an  irascible  old  fellow,  and 
suffered  with  the  gout ;  but  I  soon  found  that  his  bark  was 
worse  than  his  bite.  I  was  his  aid  and  stood  in  dread  of  him 
at  first,  though  I  afterwards  learned  to  love  him  for  his 
great  kindness  to  me.  Being  an  "  Aid "  during  my  entire 
service  as  a  midshipman  I  was  much  thrown  with  the  officers 
who  had  served  in  the  war  of  1812;  and  I  heard  many  in 
cidents  relating  to  it,  told  by  men  who  had  been  in  the  actions 
described. 

I  heard  a  commodore  say  that  in  the  action  between  the 
Chesapeake  and  Shannon,  off  Boston,  June  1st,  1813,  the  lat 
ter  had  suffered  so  much  from  the  Chesapeake' s  fire  that  she 
must  have  surrendered  had  she  not  run  the  Chesapeake  on 
board.  In  proof  of  which  he  cited  the  fact  that  Captain 
Broke  of  the  Shannon  "  headed  his  boarders,"  and  that  the 
regulations  of  the  British  navy  at  the  time  forbade  a  captain 
doing  so,  i^iless  his  ship  was  in  a  critical  condition  ! 

Captain  Broke  of  the  Shannon,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 


SLA  VERS.  25 

severely  wounded  in  boarding  the  Chesapeake  by  a  blow  over 
the  head  with  a  cutlass  in  the  hands  of  the  chaplain,  who  was 
on  deck  and  conspicuous  for  his  gallantry.  This  gentleman 
was  a  Mr.  Livermore  of  Kentucky.  He  was  a  friend  of  Cap 
tain  Lawrence  and  being  in  Boston  at  the  time  he  applied  to 
him  to  go  out  and  take  a  hand  in  the  fight.  The  captain  con 
sented,  and  appointed  him  his  chaplain  as  he  had  the  power 
to  do.  Captain  Marryatt  in  his  novel  of  Midshipman  Easy 
may  have  had  him  in  mind  when  he  sketched  the  character  of 
Chaplain  Hawkins. 

The  squadron  on  the  coast  of  Brazil  at  this  time  consisted 
of  the  Columbus,  the  frigate  Columbia,  the  sloop-of-war  John 
Adams  and  the  schooner  Enterprise.  The  Columbia  soon 
went  to  the  Mediterranean,  and  our  old  consort,  the  Congress 
took  her  place  in  the  squadron.  The  station  was  considered  a 
very  healthy  one  at  that  time ;  small-pox  in  Bio  being  the  only 
disease  to  be  feared.  Yellow^  fever  was  not  known  in  Kio 
until  some  years  later.  I  think  it  broke  out  about  1849 ;  it 
was  probably  introduced  by  some  of  the  vessels  engaged  in 
bringing  slaves  from  the  coast  of  Africa.  The  custom  of  these 
vessels  was  to  land  their  slaves  somewhere  on  the  coast,  and 
then  come  to  Bio  to  refit  and  prepare  for  another  voyage. 

One  of  our  midshipmen,  however,  (an  oldster)  told  me  that 
the  slaves  were  brought  into  Bio ;  but  that  they  could  not  be 
seen  in  consequence  of  their  being  painted  air  color,  which  of 
course  rendered  them  invisible  !  He  said  that  the  slaves  were 
landed,  and  taken  to  a  pond  outside  the  city  ;  and,  the  air-col 
ored  paint  being  washed  off,  they  became  visible;  but,  as  a 
friend  of  mine  is  hi  the  habit  of  saying,  "  I  don't  know  any 
thing  about  thai!" 

The  harbor  of  Bio  de  Janeiro  is  without  doubt  the  most 
beautiful  one  in  the  world.  Other  sheets  of  water  I  have  seen 
as  fine,  but  the  surroundings  of  this  bay  cannot  be  equalled. 
Seen  from  the  sea,  the  high  range  of  mountains  back  (or  rather 
in  front,  as  seen  from  the  sea)  of  the  city  first  come  in  view. 
Their  outline  presents  the  effigy  of  a  man  lying  on  his  back, 
2 


26         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

and  this  is  known  as  "  Lord  Hood's  Nose" — one  very  remark 
able  peak  is  known  as  the  "  corcovado"  (humpback,  a  favorite 
name  with  the  old  Spanish  voyagers).  Nearing  the  harbor, 
and  just  at  the  narrow  entrance,  a  conspicuous  hill  called  "  The 
Sugar-Loaf,"  is  seen. 

The  city,  which  is  the  largest  and  wealthiest  in  South 
America,  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  The  streets  rise 
one  above  the  other  and  as  the  houses  are  painted  in  bright 
colors  the  effect  is  very  fine.  At  night  the  lights  present  an 
unusually  brilliant  appearance.  I  think  the  appearance  of 
this  harbor  in  the  early  morning  with  the  first  rays  of  the  sun 
reflected  from  the  mountain-sides  is  not  to  be  surpassed.  The 
place  derives  its  name,  signifying  river  of  January,  from  the 
mistake  of  the  first  discoverer  of  the  bay,  who  conceived  it  to 
be  the  mouth  of  a  large  river.  It  was  founded  by  the  Por 
tuguese  in  1565. 

Rio  has  some  handsome  public  buildings,  a  very  fine  aque 
duct,  and  a  well-kept  botanical  garden.  The  climate  is  warm 
and  humid,  and  as  in  all  tropical  climates,  there  are  but  two 
seasons :  the  wet  and  the  dry.  The  population  consists  of  a 
mixture  of  all  colors  and  nations.  Of  the  natives  I  can  only 
say,  in  the  words  of  the  old  sea  captain  when  required  to 
describe  the  Chinese:  "Manners  they  have  none,  and  their 
customs  are  very  beastly."  They  are  hybrids,  and  will  never 
improve ;  but  I  shall  ha^e  more  to  say  on  this  subject  in 
another  place. 

The  sea  breeze  which  blows  every  afternoon  tempers  the 
heat  and  renders  it  more  bearable ;  it  dies  out  towards  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  and  about  two  in  the  morning  the  land  breeze 
springs  up,  and  blows  till  about  eight  o'clock.  In  the  intervals 
the  heat  is  most  oppressive.  Vessels  take  advantage  of  these 
winds :  leaving  port  with  the  land  wind,  and  entering  with  the 
sea  breeze  some  time  in  the  afternoon.  One  of  the  great 
beauties  of  this  bay  is  the  large  number  of  pretty  coves,  or 
smaller  bays,  communicating  with  it :  such  as  "  Boto  Fogo," 
etc.,  and  the  picturesque  villages  on  their  shores.  It  was  my 


MARRIAGE  OF  THE  EMPEROR  DOM  PEDRO.     27 

fortune  to  make  many  boat  expeditions  with  the  commodore, 
and  we  used  to  explore  all  these  nooks. 

One  of  them,  near  Praya  Grande,  possessed  a  melancholy 
interest  from  the  fact  that  on  its  shores  and  near  the  ruins  of 
an  old  convent,  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  United  States  frigate 
Hudson  killed  the  surgeon  of  the  ship  in  a  duel.  They  fought 
with  ship's  pistols,  and  the  surgeon  fell  dead  at  the  first  fire. 
I  have  always  heard  he  forced  the  duel  upon  the  lieutenant. 

The  present  emperor,  Dom  Pedro,  was  married  while  we 
were  lying  here  in  the  fall  of  1843.  His  wife  was  the  sister 
of  the  king  of  Naples.  She  was  brought  over  in  the  Brazilian 
frigate  Constitution,  escorted  by  a  Neapolitan  squadron  con 
sisting  of  a  line-of-battle  ship  and  two  frigates. 

There  being  a  very  large  number  of  men-of-war  of  all 
nations  in  port  at  the  time  the  firing  of  salutes  exceeded  any 
thing  I  have  ever  heard.  It  was  kept  up  for  a  week,  and  we 
all  got  so  accustomed  to  it  that  one  morning  at  sunrise  a  salute 
of  twenty-one  guns  was  fired  from  our  lower  gun-deck,  and  it 
did  not  wake  up  the  midshipmen  who  were  sleeping  on  the 
deck  directly  under.  I  can  scarcely  believe  this  now,  though 
I  know  it  to  be  true  from  my  personal  experience.  It  goes  to 
show  that  we  had  good  consciences;  though  I  have  known 
a  man  to  say  (but  he  was  a  passed  midshipman),  "  that  he 
would  as  lieve  have  a  bad  memory  as  a  good  conscience." 

Much  rivalry  existed  among  the  ships  in  port,  and  some 
very  pretty  work  was  done  with  masts,  sails  and  yards.  We 
used  to  furl  sails  "  from  a  bowline  "  in  twenty-eight  seconds,  I 
recollect. 

All  of  our  passed  midshipmen  were  promoted  to  be  sailing 
masters,  or  navigators,  to  supply  vacancies  in  the  squad 
ron  ;  and  I  noticed  that  after  a  vessel  with  a  new  master 
sailed  great  anxiety  was  felt  in  our  mess  until  we  heard  she 
had  arrived  safely  at  her  destined  port.  We  wanted  to  know 
what  kind  of  a  landfall  the  new  master  had  made !  Perhaps 
if  her  captain  had  known  of  the  doubts  of  our  fellows,  and 
the  reasons  for  it,  he  would  not  have  slept  so  soundly. 


28         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

In  October  we  sailed  from  Rio  to  Monte  Video,  the  capital 
of  the  republic  of  Monte  Video,  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Rio  de  la  Plata,  not  many  miles  from  its  mouth.  Here  we 
were  forced  to  anchor  well  off  shore  owing  to  our  great 
draught  of  water ;  and  the  boat  service,  of  which  I  had  more 
than  my  share,  was  attended  with  much  danger  from  the 
pamperos,  which  winds  spring  up  very  suddenly  and  blow 
with  great  violence.  I  passed  many  hours  in  the  barge  with 
Commodore  Turner  beating  off  to  our  ship  under  reefed  sails, 
and  learned  more  about  sailing  boats  than  I  had  ever  known 
before. 

Monte  Video  at  that  time  was  a  rather  pretty  city,  built  on 
a  gentle  ascent.  The  streets  are  wide  and  straight,  and  the 
houses  of  one  story,  with  flat  roofs.  It  takes  its  name  from  a 
neighboring  mountain — the  climate  is  moist  and  the  cold  is 
severe  in  the  winter  months,  June,  July  and  August.  Gales 
are  frequent  in  summer.  The  city  is  fortified,  and  when  we 
were  there  was  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  had  been  for  I  don't 
know  how  many  years ;  indeed  that  was  its  normal  condition. 
What  the  war  was  about,  and  who  were  the  parties  to  it  I  never 
knew ;  being  in  that  respect  like  Lieutenant  Denny  of  the 
British  navy,  who  had  been  seriously  wounded  in  a  fight  with 
the  Japanese  at  Simoda  or  Simoneseki.  He  once  described 
the  fight  to  me,  which  was  a  bloody  one,  and  upon  my  asking 
him  the  cause  of  the  war,  replied  that  one  of  the  Damios  had 
given  the  admiral  a  lot  of  cheek ;  this  was  all  he  knew  or  cared 
to  know  as  to  the  cause. 

Speaking  of  the  distance  ships  have  to  anchor  from  this 
city  reminds  me  of  an  accident  which  happened  to  the  English 
Bishop  of  Honolulu,  and  which  he  related  to  me  some  time 
about  1870,  when  I  was  commanding  a  Pacific  mail  steamer 
between  Panama  and  San  Francisco.  The  bishop  was  a  pas 
senger  with  me  to  San  Francisco,  being  on  his  return,  with  his 
family,  to  Honolulu.  He  joined  me  at  Panama,  having  come 
out  from  England  via  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Monte  Video  and  the 
Straits  of  Magellan.  He  told  me  that  while  going  ashore  at 


VISIT  TO  BUENOS  A'YRES.  29 

Monte  Video,  with  his  wife  and  children,  in  a  small  boat,  they 
were  run  into  by  a  Spanish  schooner,  and  that  he,  in  his  fright 
caught  hold  of  the  schooner's  bobstay  (a  rope  leading  from 
the  stem  to  the  end  of  the  bowsprit).  The  boat  was  not  upset, 
and  got  clear ;  and  the  schooner  sailed  away  carrying  off  the 
bishop  in  his  upside-down  position !  Those  in  the  boat  cried 
out  to  the  captain  of  the  schooner ;  but  as  he  did  not  understand 
English,  and  as,  moreover,  the  bishop  could  not  be  seen  from 
the  schooner's  deck — being  under  the  bowsprit,  in  fact — so  that 
no  one  on  board  knew  he  was  there,  it  was  some  time  before 
the  captain  could  be  made  to  "  heave-to,"  so  that  the  boat  might 
rescue  the  bishop.  He  said  he  was  just  ready  to  let  go  his 
hold  and  tumble  backwards  into  the  water. 

As  the  good  man  always  wore  his  uniform — gaiters  and 
three-cornered  cocked  hat  included — I  could  not  help  thinking 
at  the  time  the  story  was  told  me  what  a  picture  it  would  have 
been  for  Punch ! 

At  the  time  we  were  at  Montevideo  the  notorious  Juan 
Manuel  de  Rosas  was  the  Dictator  of  Buenos  Ayres.  He  was 
descended  from  an  old  Spanish  family,  according  to  some :  the 
others  said  he  was  a  gaucho,  born  on  the  pampas ;  and  was 
credited  with  many  bloody  acts  before  attaining  the  position  he 
then  held.  It  was,  indeed,  war  to  the  knife  between  the  two 
parties  in  the  country,  and  our  men-of-war  lying  off  Buenos 
Ayres  the  year  before  had  been  crowded  with  women  and 
children  flying  from  Rosas'  party. 

News  reaching  us  that  an  American  merchant  ship  had  been 
unjustly  seized  at  Buenos  Ayres,  the  commodore  determined 
to  visit  the  city ;  and  as  our  ship  could  not  go  there,  he  went 
up  in  the  schooner  Enterprise,  escorted  by  a  large  number  of 
officers  of  which  I  was  one. 

We  reached  Buenos  Ayres  in  due  time,  and  even  so  small  a 
vessel  as  the  Enterprise  had  to  anchor  some  miles  off  the  land — 
the  water  shoals  so  gradually  that  even  row-boats  cannot 
approach  the  shore  nearer  than  half  a  mile.  Carts  come  out 
to  them  when  they  ground,  and  all  passengers  and  freight  are 
landed  in  these  carts.  This  is  so  to  this  day. 


30        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

I  do  not  remember  much  about  Buenos  Ayres  at  this  time ; 
it  struck  me  as  a  large,  straggling  town,  the  streets  filled  with 
savage-looking  gauchos  on  horseback,  and  carts  with  solid 
wooden  wheels  drawn  by  oxen.  On  all  the  walls  placards 
were  posted  with  the  inscription,  "  death  to  the  savage  Unita 
rians,"  and  I  believe  that  even  then  scarcely  a  day  passed  that 
Rosas  did  not  put  some  one  to  death.  He  had  only  to  "  tip 
the  wink"  to  one  of  his  followers  and  the  thing  was  done.  No 
eastern  potentate  ever  had  greater  power  over  his  subjects  than 
Kosas  had  over  the  wretched  inhabitants  of  this  city  at  this 
time.  Buenos  Ayres  will  live  in  the  memory  of  the  English, 
for  it  was  here  that  their  army  suffered  two  defeats  at  the  hands 
of  the  inhabitants;  in  1806  under  General  Beresford,  and  in 
1807  under  General  Whitelock.  Gen.  W.  lost  one-third  of 
his  army  of  8000  men,  and  was  glad  to  conclude  a  truce. 

Commodore  Turner  had  an  interview  with  Rosas,  and  the 
ship  was  immediately  released  and  sent  down  the  river  to 
Monte  Video  to  be  restored  to  her  owners. 

We  passed  a  week  here  very  pleasantly,  visiting  the  ladies, 
and  riding  over  the  pampas.  One  day  we  all  spent  at  Kosas' 
quinta  by  special  invitation ;  it  was  about  four  miles  from  the 
city  and  we  went  out  there  on  horseback.  We  found  there 
Rosas,  his  daughter  Manuelita,  and  a  large  number  of  the 
ladies  of  the  court.  La  Senorita  Manuelita  spoke  English 
pretty  well,  and  was  said  to  be  fascinating.  She  was  a  grace 
ful  girl,  but  not  particularly  pretty.  Report  said  that  the 
year  before  our  visit  she  had  been  engaged  to  a  U.  S.  lieutenant 
of  marines ;  but  happening  to  go  down  to  receive  him  on  one 
occasion  with  a  number  of  human  ears  strung  on  a  string,  in 
her  hand,  the  lieutenant  fled  the  palace.  I  do  not  know  the 
truth  of  this ;  it  may  have  been  prepared  especially  for  the 
marines ! 

On  the  occasion  I  speak  of  we  rode  all  over  the  quinta  with 
Rosas  and  his  body-guard — a  bloody-looking  set  of  villains — 
one  could  see  the  blood  in  their  eyes. 

The  country  was  then  in  so  unsettled  a  condition  that  some 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  FRIGATE  RARITAN.  31 

of  our  officers  actually  feared  treachery  that  day.  They  were 
armed  and  we  were  not.  All  the  ladies  were  of  the  party,  and 
they,  and  the  guard  of  gauchos  were  continually  leaping  wide 
ditches  and  beckoning  us  to  follow ;  the  padre,  who  had  his 
gown  tucked  up  on  his  saddle,  and  who  was  the  worst-looking 
villain  of  the  lot,  was  conspicuous  in  this  amusement. 

We  declined  to  follow  these  fellows,  fine  riders  as  we  were : 
being  sailors  !  !  We  excused  ourselves  on  the  plea  that  ours 
were  livery  horses  and  could  not  leap.  I  really  believe  that 
the  commodore  was  on  a  horse  for  the  first  time  in  his  life. 
Everybody  knows  what  a  gaucho  is  on  horseback ;  and  to  see 
him  on  the  pampas  in  his  wild  state  lassoing  cattle  is  a  sight 
worth  traveling  for. 

We  attended  a  ball  at  the  palace  that  night,  and  the  next 
day  returned  to  the  Enterprise,  and  went  in  her  back  to  our 
ship.  Rosas  finally  fled  the  country  in  April  1852,  and  went  to 
England  where  he  died.  His  daughter  married  an  English 
man  and  probably  is  still  living. 

In  consequence  of  Monte  Video  being  besieged  we  could 
obtain  no  fresh  provisions  in  the  city,  and  were  forced  to  send 
the  launch  occasionally  down  to  Maldonado,  a  village  some 
fifty  miles  below  us,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Here  we  ob 
tained  fresh  beef  and  ostrich  eggs ;  which  latter  I  ate  for  the 
first  time.  We  returned  to  Rio  in  February  1844,  and  re 
mained  there  until  the  time  came  for  us  to  sail  for  home. 

The  worst  of  the  Brazil  station  is  that  there  are  so  few  ports 
to  visit :  Rio  Janeiro,  Monte  Video,  Buenos  Ayres,  Pernam- 
buco  and  Bahia  complete  the  list.  The  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
was  included  in  our  command,  but  none  of  our  ships  went 
there  while  I  was  on  the  station. 

In  April  1844  the  frigate  Raritan,  Captain  Francis  S. 
Gregory,  arrived  out  to  relieve  us.  Our  gallant  old  commo 
dore  transferred  his  flag  to  her,  and  about  the  middle  of  the 
month  our  boatswain,  with  his  eight  mates  standing  in  line 
with  him  on  the  main  gun  deck,  piped  that  "  call "  which 
sends  a  thrill  through  every  heart — old  or  young — "  All  hands 


32         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

up  anchor  for  home !"  While  on  the  "  Coast  of  Brazil,"  as 
the  station  is  called,  I  frequently  heard  old  "  stagers  "  repeat 
what  was  known  as  "  Sandy  Thompson's  Will."  I  give  here 
such  of  it  as  I  can  recall,  not  so  much  for  the  merit  of  the 
lines,  as  on  account  of  the  mournful  interest  attached  to  them. 
It  was  said  that  Midshipman  Sandy  Thompson  of  the  navy 
wrote  them  while  lying  on  the  mess  table  in  the  steerage  of 
his  ship,  and  that  he  died  a  few  minutes  after. 

SANDY  THOMPSON'S  WILL. 

Dear  Jack  you  know  that  on  this  river 

Folks  very  rarely  live  forever ; 

This  cursed  climate  and  fresh  water 

Among  our  people  make  great  slaughter. 

Beside  the  Orinoco's  flood, 

And  near  a  copse  of  tangled  wood, 

A  reefer  whom  we  all  lament 

And  seven  poor  sailors  home  were  sent. 

May  Heaven  which  all  events  controls, 

Extend  its  mercies  to  our  souls, 

When  at  destruction's  very  portal : 

For  well  you  know  we  all  are  mortal ! 

So,  now,  my  dear  old  messmate  Jack, 

Should  sickness  lay  me  on  my  back, 

Or  should  it  be  the  will  of  God 

To  lay  me  underneath  the  sod, 

I  pray  some  things  that  I  may  mention, 

May  claim  from  you  some  small  attention. 

The  last  of  all  my  earthly  cares 
Is  the  bad  fix  of  my  affairs  ; 
What  causes  most  of  my  regrets 
Is  for  the  payment  of  my  debts  ; 
But  whether  they  be  great  or  small. 
We'll  see  by  looking  at  them  all : 

First,  to  the  purser,  much  I  owe, 
The  true  amount  I  do  not  know  ; 
But  thirty  dollars  with  my  pay, 
Would  not  clear  me  to  this  day. 
The  unpaid  mess-bill  in  New  York ; 
The  money  due  for  beef  and  pork  ; 


SANDY  THOMPSONS  WILL.  33 

To  fifty  dollars  these  amount,, 
As  near  as  1  can  now  account. 
Confusion  take  these  cursed  bills 
This  catering  is  the  worst  of  ills. 
*        *        *        *        -*        * 

My  writing  desk  to  Thomas  give  it; 
Beg  him  from  me  that  he'll  receive  it. 
Present  to  Charles  my  shaving  case 
To  help  him  scrape  his  dirty  face. 


My  journals,  books  and  all  such  trash, 
That  are  not  worth  one  cent  in  cash, 
These  with  my  side-arms  you  will  send 
To  Carolina  to  my  friends : 
To  Beaufort  in  South  Carolina, 
And  there  you  will  obtain  the  rhino, 
As  much  as  will  enable  you 
To  give  to  each  his  proper  due. 

And,  now,  dear  Jack,  for  one  request, 
Much  more  to  me  than  all  the  rest, 
If  ever  to  New  York  you  go, 
In  summer's  heat  or  winter's  snow, 
You'll  straight  repair  to  Second  Street, 
And  there  Miss  S.  you'll  surely  meet ; 
Tell  her  that  I,  her  faithful  swain, 
To  her  faithful  did  remain  ; 
And  with  my  last  and  dying  breath, 
When  struggling  with  that  traitor  Death, 
I  called  upon  her  worshipped  name, 
In  life  or  death  I'd  be  the  same. 


When  I  am  dead  and  body  rotten, 

And  memory  almost  forgotten, 

Then  let  the  starboard  messmates  meet, 

And  every  reefer  take  his  seat 

Let  whiskey  circulate  around 

And  mirth,  and  wit,  and  joy  abound. 


And  wheresoever  you  may  wander' 
Remember  your  old  friend, 

ALEXANDER. 
2* 


34        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

We  made  a  good  passage  home,  having  fine  weather.  After 
we  struck  the  N.  E.  trades  we  averaged  ten  miles  an  hour  for 
seven  consecutive  days,  and  I  have  logged  the  ship  fifty  miles 
in  a  watch  of  four  hours — not  bad  for  an  old  line-of-battle 
ship !  The  first  vessel  we  spoke  on  the  coast  gave  us  the  news 
of  the  bursting  of  Commodore  Stockton's  gun,  the  Peacemaker, 
on  the  steamer  Princeton,  at  Washington;  by  this  accident 
several  distinguished  gentlemen  lost  their  lives,  Hon.  Abel  P. 
Upshur,  who  had  been  secretary  of  the  navy  in  1841,  among 
others. 

We  arrived  in  New  York  late  in  May.  We  anchored 
inside  of  Sandy  Hook,  and  I  went  up  in  the  gig  with  our  cap 
tain,  Benjamin  Cooper,  to  Brooklyn,  where  he  lived.  It  being 
late  when  we  arrived  he  told  me  not  to  return  to  the  Colum 
bus,  but  to  go  to  the  receiving  ship  North  Carolina  for  the 
night.  I  did  so  ;  and  as  soon  as  I  got  down  on  her  lower  deck, 
I  recognized  the  old  smell  of  rum,  tar,  bean-soup  and  tobacco 
which  I  had  noticed  three  years  before.  The  next  day  the 
Columbus  came  up,  and  after  lying  a  few  days  off  the  battery, 
went  to  the  navy  yard.  The  men  were  paid  off  and  dis 
charged,  and  the  officers  granted  three  months'  leave  of 
absence.  So  ended  my  first  cruise. 


THE  FRIGATE  POTOMA  C.  35 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  FRIGATE  "  POTOMAC  " — THE  MILLERITE  EXCITEMENT — SAIL  FOR  NOR 
FOLK — LEAVE  NORFOLK  FOR  THE  WEST  INDIES — THE  LANDFALL  OF 
COLUMBUS— GONAIVES— PORT-AU  PRINCE— A  SAN  DOMINGO  GAME-COCK 
— THE  YELLOW  FEVER — PORT  ROYAL — HAVANA — TOMB  OF  COLUMBUS — 
PENSACOLA— VERA  CRUZ — RUMORS  OF  WAR  WITH  MEXICO — RETURN  TO 
PENSACOLA — SHARKS — A  LEAK  IN  THE  BOW — A  COFFER  DAM — THE  U.  S. 
SHIP  "PRINCETON" — RETURN  HOME. 

I  REMAINED  on  shore  but  a  few  months,  and  in  September 
was  ordered  to  the  frigate  Potomac,  the  flag-ship  of  Commo 
dore  David  Conner,  commanding  the  West  India,  or  Home 
Squadron.  The  Potomac  was  a  vessel  of  1750  tons ;  she  carried 
fifty-two  guns  and  was  consequently  called  a  "  44 ! "  She  carried 
thirty  long  32-pounders  on  her  main,  and  twenty-two  32- 
pounder  carronades  on  her  spar  deck.  These  carronades 
were  certainly  the  most  ridiculous  guns  ever  invented ;  they 
had  neither  range  or  penetration,  and  were  never  known  to 
hit  anything  when  fired.  The  slides,  though,  on  which  they 
were  mounted  were  very  convenient  for  sitting  down  on,  and 
the  midshipmen  made  good  use  of  them  in  their  long  night 
watches.  When  I  reported  for  duty  the  ship  was  lying  off  the 
navy  yard.  She  had  been  some  time  in  commission  and  had 
but  lately  returned  from  the  West  Indies.  The  appearance  of  a 
fine  frigate,  in  full  commission,  was  not  usual  in  Philadelphia, 
and  she  was  visited  by  persons  from  all  parts  of  the  State. 

This  was  the  time  of  what  was  known  as  the  Hitlerite  excite 
ment.  One  Miller  had  prophesied  that  the  world  would  burn 
up  on  a  certain  day  in  October ;  and  strange  to  say  had  found 
many  to  believe  him.  The  papers  said  that  on  the  night  ap 
pointed  the  fields  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia  were 
thronged  with  believers  in  their  ascension  robes,  ready  to  go 


36        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

up.  In  fact,  I  knew  myself  a  distinguished  "society-lady" 
\vho  was  all  ready  for  the  event  which  she  fully  believed  in. 
There  was  so  much  said  about  it  in  the  papers  that  I  think 
a  good  many  people  felt  uncomfortable,  to  say  the  least. 

On  the  night  appointed  for  the  destruction  of  the  world  I 
had  the  mid-watch,  and  about  3  o'clock  I  heard  a  curious, 
rumbling  noise  which  I  could  not  account  for,  and  which 
caused  me  much  uneasiness.  The  discipline  of  the  ship  would 
not  allow  of  my  stepping  across  the  deck  and  asking  the  lieu 
tenant  of  the  watch  what  he  thought  about  it ;  so  I  kept  my 
weather  eye  open  for  any  change  in  the  weather.  The  noise 
continued,  and  when  I  called  my  relief  at  4  the  first  thing  he 
said  when  awake  was :  "  what's  that ;  is  the  world  coming 
to  an  end  ?"  It  showed  how  completely  men's  minds  were 
taken  up  with  the  prophecy  when  even  a  midshipman  con 
descended  to  pay  some  attention  to  it.  My  relief  told  me 
afterwards  that  the  noise  was  caused  by  a  steamer  blowing  off 
steam  under  water. 

We  sailed  from  Philadelphia  in  November,  1844,  and  went 
to  Norfolk,  where  we  received  on  board  Messrs.  Crump  of 
Virginia,  and  Bryan  of  Ohio  who  were  to  take  passage  with 
us  to  Port  Royal,  Jamaica ;  there  they  were  to  take  the  English 
mail  packet  for  Chagres.  There  were  no  steamers  running 
between  New  York  and  the  Isthmus  at  that  time,  and  the  trip 
to  California  or  the  ports  in  South  America  was  very  long  and 
tedious.  Mr.  Crump  was  appointed  Charge  d'  Affaires  to  Chili, 
and  Mr.  Bryan  to  Peru.  We  left  Norfolk  about  December 
1st  and  shaped  a  course  to  pass  through  the  Turk's  island  pas 
sage.  Our  course  took  us  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Bahama 
islands,  one  of  which  is  the  first  land  discovered  by  Columbus 
in  1492.  Concerning  this  same  landfall  there  is  much  differ 
ence  of  opinion.  All  opinions  are  based  upon  that  portion  of 
Columbus'  journal  preserved  by  Las  Casas. 

When  Washington  Irving  was  writing  the  history  of  Colum 
bus  he  got  Captain  Alexander  Slidell  Mackenzie  of  the  U.  S. 
navy  to  investigate  this  matter,  and  after  an  exhaustive 


THE  LANDFALL  OF  COLUMBUS.  37 

analysis,  which  received  the  approbation  of  Humboldt,  the 
captain  decided  that  the  first  land  discovered  was  Cat  island. 
It  was  called  by  the  natives  Guanahani,  and  by  the  Spaniards 
San  Salvador.  [See  Irving's  Columbus,  vol.  1.] 

In  1856  Captain  A.  B.  Beecher,  Royal  navy,  after  another 
exhaustive  analysis  decided  that  the  landfall  was  Watling's 
island,  which  is  41  miles  S.  E.  from  San  Salvador,  or  Cat 
island. 

Navarette  the  Spanish  historian,  (and  one  might  suppose  a 
Spaniard  should  be  the  best  informed),  says  it  was  Turk's 
island,  280  miles  from  Cat  island. 

Fr.  Adolph  de  Varnhagen  has  published  a  book  to  prove 
that  it  was  Mariguana  island,  distant  from  Cat  island  160 
miles :  and  finally,  in  1882,  the  Hon.  Gustavus  V.  Fox,  who 
was  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  during  President 
Lincoln's  administration,  came  out  in  an  article  published  in 
the  Coast  Survey  report,  to  prove  that  they  were  all  wrong, 
and  that  the  landfall  was  Samana  or  Atkins  Kay !  This  is 
100  miles  distant  from  Cat  island. 

It  appears  to  me  that  in  this  investigation  it  is  impossible 
to  determine  the  first  land  seen  by  Columbus  by  simply  taking 
his  journal  which  gives  only  the  daily  course  and  distance  from 
the  island  of  Gomera — (one  of  the  Canaries).  Let  a  ship  in 
this  day  sail  from  Gomera  and  only  give  the  same  data,  and 
what  seaman  will  undertake  to  say  what  island  she  would 
first  make  in  the  space  comprised  between  Cat  and  Turk's 
islands !  He  would  want  to  know  something  more  than  the 
course  and  distance ;  such  as  the  prevailing  winds,  the  set  of 
the  currents,  and  not  only  the  variation  of  the  compass,  but 
the  local  deviation.  This  latter  point  seems  to  have  been  over 
looked  by  the  investigators. 

The  compass  in  use  in  that  day  must  have  been  of  rude  con 
struction,  and  we  do  not  know  anything  at  all  as  to  how  it  was 
mounted.  Who  knows  but  that  the  helmsman  occasionally 
hung  his  steel  helmet,  (if  he  wore  one)  upon  the  binnacle,  (if 
there  was  one) !  Bringing  into  the  discussion  the  magnetic 


38        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

deviation,  or  variation  of  the  compass  as  it  is  called,  is,  in  my 
humble  opinion,  drawing  it  entirely  too  fine;  it  is  painting  the 
lily,  as  it  were. 

We  know  that  Columbus  first  observed  the  "  variation"  01 
the  compass ;  but  what  means  had  he  of  determining  it  ?  All 
his  instruments  were  imperfect.  His  improved  Astrolabe  did 
not  hinder  him  from  making  many  errors  in  the  latitude — he 
never  did  know  his  longitude,  and  he  never  used  the  log-line ; 
it  was  not  known  then. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  best  way  to  determine  the  landfall  is 
to  start  from  a  known  point — such  as  Isabella,  on  the  northern 
coast  of  the  island  of  San  Domingo,  where  Columbus  built  a 
fort — and  "  try  back"  as  it  were.  This  was  the  plan  pursued 
by  Mackenzie.  But  even  here  we  meet  with  the  same  difficul 
ties  of  winds,  currents,  and  local  attraction. 

Having  read  much  and  thought  more  on  this  subject  I  shall 
continue  to  pin  my  faith  on  Guanahani,  or  San  Salvador,  or 
Cat  island,  as  it  is  severally  called.  As  Captain  Mackenzie 
says :  "  Do  not  disturb  the  ancient  landmarks." 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  his  voyage  to  the  islands  and 
back  Columbus  was  forced  by  the  N.  E.  trades  and  the  Gulf 
stream  to  pursue  precisely  the  route  followed  by  navigators  of 
the  present  day.  On  the  voyage  out  he  made  a  straight  course 
for  the  Bahamas,  and  on  his  return  was  forced  to  go  up  to 
the  parallel  of  40°  in  order  to  get  the  west  winds.  He  stopped 
on  the  voyage  back  to  Spain  at  the  Azores  in  latitude  39° 
north.  Moreover  he  sailed  from  Palos  in  Spain  on  his  voyage 
of  discovery  on  a  Friday,  and  he  first  made  the  island  of 
Guanahani  on  a  Friday  ! 

The  Potomac  passed  through  the  Turk's  island  passage  and 
went  first  to  Gonaives,  a  small  port  on  the  western  coast  of 
San  Domingo  island — from  thence  we  went  to  Port-au-Prince 
which  is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  bay  on  the  same 
island.  The  island  of  San  Domingo  was  known  as  Hayti  by 
the  natives  and  called  Hispaniola  by  the  Spaniards.  At  present 
the  eastern  half  of  the  island  is  called  Dominica,  and  the  western 


A  SAN  DOMINGO  GAME  COCK.  39 

Hayti.  It  was  taken  by  the  French  in  1677.  In  1793  the 
negroes  revolted  and  massacred  nearly  all  the  whites ;  since 
which  date  it  has  remained  in  their  possession. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Port-au-Prince  we  found  the  yellow 
fever  raging  and  the  commodore  decided  to  remain  but  one 
day.  Only  the  caterers  of  the  messes  were  allowed  to  go  on 
shore,  and  our  caterer  went  with  the  others.  Whether  he  had 
underestimated  our  powers,  or  not,  I  do  not  know ;  but  our 
stores  were  exhausted,  and  we  had  been  reduced  to  the  By-no- 
meal  theorem  for  some  days.  With  much  difficulty  we  raised 
ten  dollars  and  sent  him  on  shore.  We  did  not  expect  much 
for  that  sum  of  money,  but  we  had  visions  of  yam  and  fruit  at 
least.  When  our  caterer  returned  he  brought  back  a  one-eyed 
game  cock,  for  which  he  had  spent  all  our  money  !  We  were 
inclined  to  grumble,  but  as  he  could  man-handle  any  member 
of  the  mess  we  kept  our  complaints  to  ourselves.  This  caterer, 
who  was  one  of  those  who  go  through  the  world  with  a  "  light 
heart  and  a  thin  pair  of  breeches,"  said  to  us  :  "  it 's  no  use 
to  growl ;  this  game  cock  will  give  you  more  satisfaction  in 
the  end  than  the  fruit,"  and  he  did.  We  turned  him  loose 
upon  the  main  deck  where  he  lived  upon  the  captain's  chicken- 
feed  as  a  kind  of  free  lance;  he  became  a  great  favorite 
with  the  men,  and  many  were  the  fights  he  gained.  He  lived 
in  this  way  many  months  and  was  eventually  murdered  by  the 
captain's  steward.  His  death  caused  much  indignation  in  the 
steerage,  and  his  epitaph  was  written  by  our  mess  poet.  It 
was  somewhat  after  the  style  of  "  Old  Grimes  is  dead." 

With  all  our  care  the  yellow  fever  broke  out  soon  after 
we  sailed  from  Port-au-Prince  ;  but  we  only  had  two  cases. 
Since  then  I  have  seen  more  of  this  disease  than  most  men, 
and  have  had  it  twice.  The  first  time  was  at  Pensacola  in  the 
summer  of  1846.  I  was  ashore  at  the  navy  yard  one  night  in 
the  gig  waiting  for  the  captain,  and  while  there  saw  that  a 
steamer  at  the  wharf  near  us  was  on  fire.  I  gave  the  alarm 
and  went  on  board  with  the  gig's  crew.  The  men  from  our 
ship  soon  came  to  our  assistance  and  we  extinguished  the  fire  ; 


40        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

and  when  that  was  done,  we  midshipmen  got  to  skylarking 
with  the  hose  and  were  soon  very  wet.  Our  captain  (God 
bless  him)  kept  me  waiting  for  him  in  my  wet  clothes  until 
near  midnight  and  I  was  chilled  to  the  bone.  When  I  got  on 
board  I  found  the  starboard  mess  "  keeping  it  up  !  "  Tom  Kin- 
loch  I  remember  was  making  an  omelette  in  a  tin  cup  over 
three  candles.  The  caterer  of  the  mess  having  to  write  orders 
for  the  steward  to  get  the  next  day's  marketing,  and  having 
kept  it  up  too  high  himself,  asked  me  to  write  for  him.  Upon 
taking  the  pen  I  found  /  could  not  see.  I  thought  it  hard 
times  that  the  others  were  seeing  double,  and  I  not  at  all ;  but 
nevertheless  in  a  few  hours  I  was  down  with  the  yellow  fever 
and  I  did  not  get  to  my  duty  again  for  a  long,  long  time.  As 
the  ship  had  a  spar-deck  cabin  in  addition  to  one  on  the  main 
deck,  and  our  captain  could  not  occupy  both,  (though  he  tried 
to)  I  was  removed  to  it.  Just  as  I  had  "  turned  the  corner," 
though  still  very  weak,  one-half  of  our  midshipmen  were 
ordered  home  for  their  examination  as  passed-midshipmen. 
The  night  before  leaving  they  came  to  bid  me  good-bye, 
and  in  the  excitement  of  going  home  and  joy  at  my  probable 
recovery  (I  am  happy  to  say),  one  of  them,  Harry  Bluff  by 
name,  danced  a  horn-pipe  on  the  centre-table  with  his  boots  on. 
The  next  day  our  captain — a  Tartar  if  there  ever  was  one — 
came  in  to  see  me,  and  on  leaving  the  state-room  he  noticed 
the  state  of  the  table.  "Why!  what's  all  this?"  he  ex 
claimed  :  "  Damme,  it  looks  as  though  some  one  had  been 
scratching  this  table  with  a  nail ! "  I  preserved  a  judicious 
silence ;  but  I  thought  to  myself,  if  you  had  seen  Harry  Blufl's 
performance  last  night  you  would  not  be  so  much  surprised. 

Less  than  a  year  after  this,  near  the  close  of  the  war  with 
Mexico,  I  was  returning  home  in  the  frigate  Raritan  and 
again  had  the  yellow  fever.  My  symptoms  were  the  same  as 
in  the  first  attack.  We  had  many  cases  on  board,  but  I  had 
not  feared  it ;  indeed,  I  was  under  the  impression  that  I  could 
not  have  it  a  second  time.  I  wras  walking  the  deck  and  went 
to  look  at  the  compass  to  see  how  the  ship  was  heading,  pre- 


THE  YELLOW  FEVER.  41 

paratory  to  turning  in.  I  could  not  see  the  compass  and  a  few 
hours  after  I  was  down  again,  and  this  attack  was  as  bad  as 
the  first. 

When  we  left  Port-au-Prince  one  of  our  midshipmen  was  ill 
of  the  fever  and  I  used  to  lie  in  his  cot  with  him  while 
nursing  him,  and  so  did  some  of  the  other  midshipmen  ;  but  it 
did  not  spread.  Altogether,  I  have  seen  enough  to  know  that 
it  is  not  contagious,  though  it  may  be  infectious.  I  believe 
doctors  are  not  certain  of  it,  however.  That  it  can  be  carried 
in  ships  admits  of  no  doubt.  In  1855  the  steamer  Ben 
Franklin  conveyed  the  yellow  fever  to  Norfolk — the  men 
working  on  her  first  carried  it  to  Gosport,  and  it  crossed  the 
river  into  Norfolk  with  them.  This  was  as  plain  as  a  thing 
could  be. 

There  is  much  yet  to  be  learned  concerning  this  fearful 
scourge,  and  one  difficulty,  which  I  have  myself  observed,  is 
that  in  one  place  it  is  of  a  mild  type,  and  in  another  of  a  very 
bad  one ;  and  even  in  the  same  place  the  fever  of  one  year 
differs  from  the  fever  of  another.  It  prevails  every  summer 
on  the  east  coast  of  Mexico,  but  is  not  known,  I  think,  on  the 
west  coast.  We  had  on  this  occasion  but  two  cases;  one 
proved  fatal,  and  the  other,  being  a  midshipman,  got  well. 

A  few  days  after  leaving  Port-au-Prince  we  arrived  at  Port 
Koyal,  Jamaica,  the  seaport  of  Kingston.  I  have  since  been 
much  in  the  tropics,  but  I  have  never  seen  any  spot  that 
came  up  so  completely  to  my  idea  of  "  tropical  scenery "  as 
Port  Royal,  with  its  groves  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  thatched  cot 
tages  and  still  life. 

Our  Charges  landed  here,  and  in  company  with  many  of 
our  officers,  visited  the  governor,  Lord  Elgin,  at  his  palace, 
situated  somewhere  up  in  the  mountains. 

This  being  our  first  convenient  stopping  place  two  of  our 
midshipmen  took  advantage  of  it  to  fight  a  duel.  Neither  was 
hurt  and  the  authorities  knew  nothing  about  it. 

From  Port  Royal  we  sailed  for  Havana,  touching  at  the 
beautiful  port  of  Santiago  de  Cuba  by  the  way.  Off  Havana 


42        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

we  experienced  a  heavy  "  norther,"  which  caused  us  to  lie  to 
under  a  close  reefed  main  topsail  for  two  days.  At  12  o'clock 
on  the  third  day  the  commodore  determined  to  bear  up  for 
the  harbor ;  I  expect  he  did  not  happen  to  bear  in  mind  what 
a  heavy  sea  there  would  be  off  the  port.  In  entering  Havana 
you  steer  directly  for  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  and  then  haul 
short  round  the  Moro  Castle,  which  stands  on  the  left  hand 
side.  As  we  went  flying  before  the  wind  and  sea,  under  double 
reefed  topsails,  we  commenced  rolling  our  spar  deck  guns 
under  water  as  we  approached  the  port.  The  pilot  could  not 
come  off,  so  our  captain  had  to  take  the  ship  in ;  and  he 
soon  becoming  confused,  the  commodore  took  charge  of  the 
deck ;  it  was  the  best  thing  I  ever  saw  him  do.  The  ship  was 
yawing  four  or  five  points,  and  four  men  at  the  wheel  could 
hardly  steer  her.  At  one  moment  she  would  be  heading  for 
the  Moro  Castle  as  though  she  was  about  to  run  it  down,  and 
the  next  for  the  rocks  off  the  play  a  on  which  the  sea  was  break 
ing  higher  than  our  fore-top.  It  was  an  anxious  moment  with 
all  hands ;  the  braces  were  led  along  ready  to  be  manned,  and 
the  men  were  hanging  on  to  the  belaying  pins,  guns,  and  every 
thing  else  that  would  yield  a  support.  On  shore  the  playa 
was  crowded  with  spectators,  and  as  our  ship  would  point  her 
head  in  that  direction  as  though  determined  to  be  among  them, 
there  would  be  an  involuntary  movement  on  their  part  to  get 
out  of  the  way.  It  must  have  been  a  most  beautiful  sight  to 
them  and  no  doubt  they  enjoyed  it.  I  was  hanging  on  to  the 
spanker  boom  myself  and  could  not  help  thinking  at  the  time 
what  a  grand  spectacle  we  must  present,  and  how  much  I  would 
enjoy  it  if  on  shore  !  As  Ross  Brown  says  in  his  description 
of  his  horse  Saladin  running  away  with  him  :  "  It  would  have 
been  so  funny  to  see  somebody  else  mounted  upon  Saladin !  " 
As  we  got  nearly  abreast  the  Moro,  the  frigate  gave  a  heavy 
roll  to  port,  then  to  starboard,  taking  the  water  in  over  each 
bulwark  in  succession,  and  nearly  dipping  her  lower  yardarms 
in  the  water,  pointed  her  bow  toward  the  playa  for  one  awful 
moment,  and  then  with  the  helm  hard  a-starboard  she  slowly 


TOMB  OF  COLUMBUS.  43 

doubled  round  the  castle,  and  in  less  than  one  minute  was  in 
smooth  water,  and  nearly  becalmed  under  the  lee  of  the  pre 
cipitous  cliff  on  which  it  is  situated.  Those  of  us  who  had 
been  singing  to  ourselves  the  long  metre  doxology  drew  a  long 
breath,  and  resumed  our  every  day  duties ! 

Havana  was  founded  in  1511 ;  it  was  taken  by  the  English 
in  1762  and  restored  in  1763.  The  old  town  is  surrounded  by 
a  wall  and  the  streets  are  very  narrow.  In  the  new  portion 
they  are  wide  and  there  are  many  handsome  public  buildings. 
The  Tacon  theatre  is  one  of  the  largest  and  prettiest  I  have 
ever  seen.  In  the  cathedral  are  deposited  the  remains  of  Co 
lumbus. 

Columbus  died  in  Spain  on  the  20th  of  May,  1506.  His 
body  was  deposited  in  the  Convent  of  St.  Francisco,  and  his 
obsequies  were  celebrated  at  Valladolid.  In  1513  his  remains 
were  transported  to  the  Carthusian  monastery  of  Las  Cuevas 
of  Seville.  In  1536  the  bodies  of  Columbus  and  his  son  Diego 
were  removed  to  Hispaniola  and  interred  in  the  principal 
chapel  of  the  cathedral  of  the  city  of  San  Domingo.  At  the 
termination  of  the  war  between  France  and  Spain  in  1795,  all 
the  Spanish  possessions  in  the  island  of  Hispaniola  were  ceded 
to  France,  and  in  1796  the  remains  were  again  removed  to  the 
cathedral  in  Havana. 

A  few  years  ago  in  consequence  of  some  discoveries  in  the 
cathedral  at  San  Domingo  an  attempt  was  made  to  throw  some 
doubt  as  to  whether  the  body  removed  to  Havana  was  that  of 
Columbus  or  not,  but  as  Navarrette  in  his  "  collections"  has 
given  a  circumstantial  account  of  the  proceedings,  and  has 
minutely  described  the  precautions  taken  by  the  Spanish 
authorities  upon  the  occasion  of  disinterring  the  body,  I  do 
not  see  that  there  could  have  been  a  mistake  made  or  a  reason 
able  doubt  as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  narrative. 

In  February  we  sailed  from  Havana  and  went  to  Pensacola 
where  we  found  the  other  ships  of  our  small  squadron ;  they 
were  the  Falmouth  and  the  brigs  Lawrence  and  Somers.  The 
7th  U.  S.  Infantry  was  at  this  time  garrisoning  Forts  Pickens 


44        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

and  Barrancas,  and  we  became  well  acquainted  with  the 
officers.  Pensacola  was  very  gay  at  this  time,  and  many  were 
the  balls  given,  alternately,  on  board  ship,  at  Fort  Pickens,  at 
the  navy  yard,  and  in  town.  Affairs  with  Mexico  were  begin 
ning  to  look  squally.  General  Taylor  was  assembling  a  force 
at  Corpus  Christi  in  Texas,  which  the  7th  Infantry  soon  joined, 
and  Commodore  Conner  proceeded  to  Vera  Cruz  with  his 
squadron. 

Upon  our  arrival  there  we  anchored  off  Green  island,  which 
lies  4i  miles  east  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  no  one  was  permitted  to 
visit  the  city.  We  had  only  occasional  communication  with 
the  town — a  boat  coming  off  now  and  then  with  dispatches  for 
the  commodore,  and  taking  his  in  return.  I  have  always 
understood  that  Commodore  Conner's  dispatches  at  this  time 
were  regarded  as  models  in  their  way,  and  were  highly  ap 
proved  of  at  Washington. 

We  remained  here  for  four  months  and  had  a  hard  time  of 
it ;  there  was  no  place  to  visit  but  Green  island — a  little  spot 
formed  of  coral.  We  had  frequent  and  long  exercises  at  the 
guns,  and  worst  of  all  a  half  allowance  of  water.  It  was  an 
idiosyncrasy  of  the  commodore's  to  keep  his  men  on  a  short 
allowance  of  water.  There  was  in  this  case  no  earthly  necessity 
for  it.  We  had  only  to  go  a  few  miles  up  or  down  the  coast  to 
find  rivers  where  we  could  have  gotten  all  we  wanted.  It  be 
came  so  unbearable  at  last  that  the  lieutenants  represented  it 
to  the  Navy  Department,  and  the  Secretary  issued  an  order  that 
the  allowance  should  not  be  reduced  unless  it  was  absolutely 
necessary.  It  was  a  joyful  moment  when  we  got  underway  and 
returned  to  Pensacola,  where  we  arrived  in  August,  1845. 

In  consequence  of  the  advance  of  our  army  under  General 
Taylor  towards  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  threatening  attitude  of 
Mexico,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  make  large  additions  to 
the  squadron  and  we  soon  had  quite  a  respectable  fleet  in 
Pensacola  harbor. 

Many  sharks  were  seen  in  the  harbor  at  this  time — the  pilots 
said  it  was  because  of  the  large  number  of  ships  in  port,  which 


A  LEAK  Itf  THE  BOW.  45 

they  followed  in.  Among  them  I  particularly  remember  the 
Leopard  shark,  a  horrid  spotted  monster,  about  14  feet  long. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  a  fishing  party  came  over  from  Mo 
bile  and  whilst  they  were  hauling  the  seine  on  Santa  Rosa 
island  the  leader,  a  large,  corpulent  man,  was  seized  by  a  shark 
and  carried  off  in  spite  of  the  shouts  and  splashings  of  his  com 
panions  ;  I  think  they  did  not  recover  the  body. 

This  is  the  only  case  that  ever  came  under  my  observation 
where  a  shark  actually  took  a  man  off.  I  believe  that  such 
cases  are  rare,  and  that  a  shark  only  attacks  a  man,  in  a 
crowd,  when  very  hungry. 

I  recollect  that  a  boat  came  alongside  of  us  from  the  Sara 
toga  one  day  with  a  man's  ghastly  head  in  a  bucket,  for 
recognition.  They  had  caught  a  shark  and  found  the  head 
inside.  It  proved  to  be  that  of  a  man  who  had  fallen  over 
board  from  the  Falmoutli  the  night  before.  In  this  case  the 
man  was  probably  drowned  before  the  shark  bit  his  head  off. 

While  on  our  way  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Pensacola  we  dis 
covered  a  leak  in  the  bow  of  the  Potomac,  and  there  being  no 
dock  at  the  navy  yard  it  was  thought  the  ship  would  be  sent 
north.  Mr.  Brodie,  the  naval  constructor  on  the  station,  how 
ever,  thought  he  could  get  at  it  by  means  of  a  coffer-dam,  as 
he  had  once  succeeded  in  stopping  a  leak  in  the  bottom  of  the 
Delaware,  74,  in  that  way.  Accordingly  a  false  bow  was  built 
at  the  navy  yard,  and  finally  launched  and  brought  to  the  ship. 
I  believe  we  had  commenced  pumping  it  out  and  it  would  pro 
bably  have  proved  a  success,  but  a  gale  of  wind  springing  up 
suddenly  the  other  bower  anchor  was  let  go,  and  this  with  the 
wind  and  sea  combined,  caused  the  false  bow  to  open  and  it 
was  forced  asunder  on  the  ship's  stem.  This  was  a  very  badly 
managed  affair  throughout,  and  Mr.  Brodie  did  not  have  the 
cordial  co-operation  of  our  officers ;  indeed,  when  the  news 
came  aft  that  the  thing  was  done  for,  it  was  received  with  cheers. 
Poor  Mr.  Brodie  was  seized  with  an  apoplectic  fit  on  the 
quarter  deck,  and  died  before  he  could  be  removed  to  his 
house. 


46        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

The  commodore  transferred  his  flag  to  the  Falmouth  and 
early  in  December  we  sailed  for  Norfolk  in  company  with  the 
screw  sloop-of-war  Princeton,  which  vessel  was  sent  with  us  as 
a  matter  of  precaution. 

The  Princeton  was  the  first  screw  steamer  we  had  in  the 
navy,  and  I  sometimes  think  the  best.  She  was  commissioned 
in  1843,  and  during  the  entire  war  with  Mexico  was  actively 
employed.  I  never  served  in  her  myself,  but  was  in  squadron 
with  her  for  three  years,  and  she  was  always  ready  for  service. 
At  the  time  of  which  I  am  writing  screw  ships  were  rare,  and 
the  appearance  of  the  Princeton,  with  her  sails  furled,  going 
along  seven  knots  an  hour — like  the  ship  of  the  Ancient 
Mariner,  "without  or  wave  or  wind" — used  to  excite  much 
astonishment  among  the  merchant  craft. 

We  anchored  on  the  19th  of  December  in  Lynhaven  Bay, 
just  inside  Cape  Henry.  The  next  day  was  too  foggy  to  pro 
ceed  up  the  bay.  About  noon  a  merchant  schooner  passed 
close  to  us,  aud  I  was  sent  in  a  boat  to  put  some  officers  on 
board  her.  She  had  a  fair  wind  and  tide  and  it  was  some 
time  before  I  caught  her  up.  The  captain  told  me  he  had  not 
seen  the  land  since  leaving  Boston,  yet  here  he  was  in  a  thick 
fog  steering  directly  for  Norfolk. 

I  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  the  ship  again  and  came 
near  "  losing  the  number  of  my  mess."  Fortunately  the  cap 
tain  ordered  guns  to  be  fired  and  the  ship's  bell  to  be  rung. 
When  I  heard  the  first  gun  I  found  I  had  passed  the  ship,  and 
was  pulling  out  to  sea.  It  was  nearly  four  o'clock  when  I  got 
on  board.  We  arrived  at  Norfolk  on  the  20th  day  of  Decem 
ber  and,  contrary  to  our  expectations,  the  ship  was  put  out  of 
commission  and  the  crew  discharged. 


RETURN  TO  FRIGATE  POTOMAC.  47 


CHAPTER  V. 

RETURN  TO  THE  FRIGATE  "  POTOMAC " — LIST  OP  HER  OFFICERS — FIRST 
IMPRESSIONS — SAIL  FOR  VERA  CRUZ — ARRIVAL — SACRIFICIOS  ISLAND  — 
SAN  JUAN  DE  ULLOA — SAIL  FOR  BRAZOS  SANTIAGO— LAND  A  FORCE 
AT  POINT  ISABEL — BATTLE  OF  PALO  ALTO— BATTLE  OF  RESACA  DE  LA 

PALMA GENERAL     TAYLOR     AND     COMMODORE     CONNER — AN    ALARM — 

MAJOR   RINGGOLD — CAPTAIN   MAY — LIEUTENANT    RIDGELEY — BOAT   EX 
PEDITION    UP   THE    RIO   GRANDE. 

THE  Potomac  was  put  into  dock  and  the  leak  soon  stopped. 
She  was  immediately  re-commissioned,  a  new  set  of  officers  or 
dered  to  her,  and  a  new  crew  shipped.  Feeling  sure  that  war 
with  Mexico  was  imminent,  I  applied  to  return  to  her ;  and 
after  some  difficulty  received  my  orders.  I  reported  on  board 
in  February  1846. 

As  the  Potomac's  officers  and  men  took  part  in  all  the 
naval  operations  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  during  the  war,  I  give 
a  list  of  the  officers  so  far  as  my  memory  serves  me :  captain, 
J.  H.  Aulick  ;  lieutenants,  Lockwood,  Jas.  Rowan,  Humph 
reys,  North,  Frailey  and  Doyle  ;  sailing-master,  Noland ;  pur 
ser,  Bryan  ;  surgeon,  Dodd  ;  assistant  surgeons,  Baxter  and 
Hamilton  ;  marine  officer,  Garland  ;  chaplain,  Lewis,  passed 
midshipmen,  Moore,  Abbott,  Tattnall  and  Hopkins ;  midship 
men,  Monroe,  Carmichael,  Powell,  Pembroke  Jones,  McLane, 
C.  Hunter,  Murdaugh  and  Somerville.  The  forward  officers 
I  do  not  recollect.  There  were  many  changes  in  the  ward 
room  during  the  cruise,  but  none  among  the  midshipmen. 

My  first  impressions  were  not  agreeable.  I  was  the  last  offi 
cer  to  report,  and  when  I  arrived  I  found  the  ship  in  commis 
sion  and  nearly  ready  for  sea.  Full  of  zeal,  I  barely  stopped 
to  get  my  breakfast  at  the  hotel,  and  then  slipping  on  my  uni 
form  I  hurried  over  to  the  navy  yard  to  report.  Our  captain 


48         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

was  known  in  the  service  as  a  martinet  and  I  knew  it  would 
not  do  to  delay. 

After  reporting  I  asked  his  permission  to  remain  on  shore  a 
day  or  two  to  purchase  my  mattress,  blankets,  &c.,  and  get  my 
things  together — it  was  quite  usual  to  allow  this — but  the  cap 
tain  refused  it ;  and  indeed  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I 
obtained  permission  to  return  to  the  hotel  for  my  trunk. 

Said  he — after  saying  he  would  give  me  one  hour  to  do  this 
— "  Sir,  when  I  get  a  midshipman  on  board  my  ship  I  never 
let  him  go  on  shore  until  I  know  something  about  him," — and 
I  will  do  him  the  justice  to  say  he  was  as  good  as  his  word  : 
for  I  was  with  him  sixteen  months  and  was  only  allowed  to 
go  ashore  on  liberty  twice  in  that  time ;  and  yet  I  was  his  aid 
and  supposed  to  be  a  favorite ! 

I  found  the  officers  much  discontented  and  all  hands  were 
prophesying  an  unpleasant  cruise ;  but  we  had  a  set  of  mid 
shipmen  on  board  that  even  Captain  Aulick  could  not  put 
down.  They  were  all  on  their  second  cruise  and  knew  their  duty 
well.  Intelligent,  gentlemanly  and  full  of  zeal  it  was  hard  for 
the  captain  to  find  fault  with  them.  Then  they  were  sworn 
friends,  and  all  pulled  together — indeed,  the  feeling  among 
seven  of  them  was  more  like  that  of  brothers  than  friends,  and 
to  this  day  among  the  four  who  survive  the  tie  continues  as 
strong  as  in  the  days  of  our  youth.  Kept  in  three  and  some 
times  even  two  watches ;  roused  out  at  all  hours  of  the  night 
to  take  lunar  observations  ;  kept  for  hours  in  the  tops ;  knocked 
about  in  boats,  and  "ridden  down  like  a  main  tack"  gen 
erally,  all  would  be  forgotten  when  we  got  to  our  own  quarters 
and  assembling  round  the  mess  table  would  join  in  the  chorus : 
"  It  will  never  do  to  give  it  up  so,  Mr.  Brown ;  it  will  never 
do  to  give  it  up  so." 

The  lieutenants  were  always  our  friends ;  and  I  cannot  cite  a 
better  proof  of  the  way  these  midshipmen  performed  their 
duties  than  by  stating  the  fact  that  not  one  of  them  was  ever 
punished  during  the  cruise. 

We  sailed  from  Norfolk  in  March,  1846,  and  passing  through 


SACRIFICIOS  ISLAND.  49 

the  Turk's  island  passage  and  along  the  south  side  of  Cuba, 
arrived  at  Vera  Cruz  early  in  April. 

We  found  the  squadron  under  Commodore  Conner  anchored 
under  Sacrificios  island,  a  much  better  anchorage  than  under 
Green  island,  and  the  usual  anchorage  for  men-of-war  visiting 
Vera  Cruz.  Sacrificios  island  lies  E.  S.  E.  3?  miles  from  San 
Pedro  Bastion,  Vera  Cruz ;  and  is  about  4  miles  from  the  castle 
of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa,  which  is  1600  yards  K  N.  E.  from  the 
same  bastion.  The  island  lies  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the 
main  land,  and  the  anchorage  is  between  the  island  and  the 
main ;  pretty  close  to  the  former  for  protection  during  the 
norther  season. 

The  Spaniards  under  Grijalva  landed  on  this  island  in  1518, 
and  Bernal  Diaz  says  of  it :  "  Our  people  found  on  this  last 
mentioned  island  two  buildings  of  lime  and  stone,  well  con 
structed,  each  with  steps,  and  an  altar  placed  before  certain 
hideous  figures,  the  representations  of  the  gods  of  these  Indians. 
They  found  here  also  the  bodies  of  five  unfortunate  persons 
who  had  been  sacrificed  on  the  preceding  night,  their  hearts 
cut  out,  their  limbs  separated  from  the  bodies  and  the  wralls 
and  altars  stained  with  their  blood.  This  island  was  named 
Ida  de  Los  Sacrificios.  Opposite  to  it  on  the  continent  we 
landed,  and  constructing  huts,  remained  some  time  in  expec 
tation  of  trading  with  the  natives  for  gold." 

This  landing  place  of  Grijalva's  followers  was  precisely  the 
spot  where  General  Scott  landed  his  army  in  1847. 

In  reference  to  the  name  of  the  castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa, 
Bernal  Diaz  says :  "  Our  interpreter  who  showed  some  marks 
of  intelligence  being  questioned  as  to  the  cause  of  these  victims 
being  put  to  death  in  that  manner,  made  answer  as  well  as  he 
could,  that  it  was  done  by  the  Indians  of  Culva  or  Culchua, 
meaning  the  Mexicans ;  but  he  pronounced  this  word  Ulua,  a 
name  which  ever  after  distinguished  the  place.  It  was  called 
St.  John  partly  because  this  was  the  day  of  St.  John,  and 
partly  in  compliment  to  our  chief,  Juan  de  Grijalva." 

The  squadron  at  this  time,  as  well  as  I  recollect,  consisted 
3 


50        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

of  the  frigates  Cumberland  (flag  ship),  Potomac  and  Raritan; 
the  steam  frigate  Mississippi;  the  sloop-of-war  Falmoutk,  John 
Adams,  and  St.  Marys;  the  steam  sloop  Princeton;  and  the 
brigs  Lawrence,  Porpoise  and  Somers.  It  was  largely  rein 
forced  from  time  to  time  as  I  shall  mention. 

About  the  first  of  May  we  were  unexpectedly  signalled  to 
get  underweigh,  and  most  of  the  vessels  named  stood  to  the 
northward  in  company.  As  the  men  were  kept  constantly  ex 
ercising  with  small-arms  in  obedience  to  signal  from  the  flag 
ship,  we  knew  "  something  was  in  the  wind,"  though  war  had 
not  been  declared.  We  anchored  off  Brazos  Santiago,  in 
Texas,  about  seven  miles  north  of  the  Eio  Grande  river  on 
the  6th,  and  the  next  day  landed  some  1200  men,  sailors  and 
marines,  under  Captains  Gregory  and  Aulick,  to  reinforce  the 
garrison  at  Point  Isabel.  We  arrived  in  the  nick  of  time. 
Previous  to  our  arrival  General  Taylor  with  his  army  had 
advanced  to  the  Rio  Grande,  established  a  post  and  completed 
a  fort  opposite  to  Matamoras.  He  then  returned  to  Point 
Isabel,  leaving  the  7th  Infantry  to  garrison  this  fort,  which 
was  afterwards  called  Fort  Brown,  in  honor  of  Major  Brown, 
of  the  7th,  who  so  heroically  held  it  against  all  the  attacks  of 
the  Mexicans  from  the  3d  to  the  9th  of  May,  and  who  lost  his 
life  in  the  defence. 

General  Taylor  having  made  his  arrangements  for  the  de 
fence  of  Point  Isabel  (his  base  of  supplies)  again  left  to  meet 
the  Mexican  army,  which  was  now  between  Fort  Brown  and 
Point  Isabel,  and  threatening  the  latter  point.  So  that,  as  I 
have  said,  we  arrived  just  in  time. 

Point  Isabel  wras  fortified,  and  we  of  the  Potomac  were 
assigned  to  some  heavy  guns  at  one  of  the  angles.  All  the 
men  were  armed  w7ith  muskets,  but  had  not  been  much 
drilled  in  their  use.  Indeed,  at  that  day  it  seemed  impos 
sible  to  get  a  regular  "  blue-jacket "  to  perform  a  soldier's 
duty.  The  prejudice  against  the  small-arm  drill  was  so  strong 
among  the  men  that  during  the  whole  war  they  made  but  little 
.progress  in  learning  even  the  company  drill.  They  were  always 


BATTLE  OF  PALO  ALTO.  51 

ready — too  ready — to  load  and  fire;  but  their  awkwardness 
rendered  them  about  as  dangerous  to  friends  as  foes. 

As  soon  as  we  got  on  shore  at  Point  Isabel  we  expected  we 
might  have  to  march  to  join  the  army,  so  the  lieutenants  went 
immediately  to  work  drilling  their  companies ;  and  I  thought 
the  army  officers  who  looked  on  would  die  of  laughter  at  the 
sight.  One  lieutenant  would  persist  in  giving  the  order 
double  up,  when  he  wished  to  form  two  ranks ;  and  we  were 
all  performing  the  most  remarkable  evolutions,  none  of  which 
were  laid  down  in  Scott's  Tactics. 

The  officers  of  the  present  day  are  so  well  instructed  in 
infantry  tactics  at  the  Naval  Academy,  and  the  sailors  are  so 
well  drilled,  that  they  would  find  it  hard  to  realize  how  very 
green  we  were  at  that  day.  However,  we  were  all  full  of 
zeal  and  pluck,  and  were  always  able  to  hold  our  own  in  all 
our  fights  afloat  or  ashore.  Each  ship  had  a  company  of 
well-drilled  and  disciplined  marines,  and  in  our  shore  opera 
tions  they  formed  a  battalion,  and  this  battalion  formed  the 
nucleus  on  which  we  rallied. 

General  Taylor  met  the  Mexicans  on  the  8th  of  May,  1846, 
and  fought  the  battle  of  Palo  Alto.  He  stood  on  the  defensive 
in  this  battle,  and  it  was  fought  principally  with  artillery. 
He  made  good  use  of  a  siege  train  he  fortunately  had  with 
him.  I  think  it  consisted  of  18-pounders.  The  Mexicans 
made  but  one  attempt  to  come  to  close  quarters — towards  the 
close  of  the  day  a  body  of  lancers  rode  up  as  if  about  to  charge, 
but  were  soon  thrown  into  confusion  by  the  5th  Infantry. 

We  at  Point  Isabel  could  hear  the  guns  all  day,  and  we 
knew  by  the  sound  that  our  army,  if  not  retreating,  was  not 
advancing.  As  may  well  be  imagined  we  were  in  a  great  state 
of  excitement,  and  the  sailors  were  dying  to  go  to  the  assist 
ance  of  the  army.  About  12  o'clock  that  night  a  negro  camp- 
follower  came  in  and  informed  Major  Jock  Monroe,  who  was 
the  senior  army  officer  at  the  post,  tl\at  General  Taylor  was 
defeated  with  great  slaughter,  and  that  he  himself  had  barely 
escaped  with  his  life.  Captain  Gregory  of  the  navy  was  imme- 


52        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

diately  called  and  begged  to  join  the  General  with  his  men ; 
and  both  he  and  Captain  Aulick  were  keen  to  go  ;  but  Com 
modore  Conner  had  to  be  consulted,  and  an  express  was  sent 
off  to  him  on  board  his  ship.  The  commodore  positively  re 
fused  to  send  the  men  out ;  he  said  that  unaccustomed  as  they 
were  to  the  use  of  small-arms,  and  with  no  knowledge  of  for 
mations,  one  regiment  of  cavalry  could  cut  them  to  pieces,  and 
that  he  would  not  risk  crippling  his  squadron  at  the  very.be- 
ginning  of  the  war ;  with  many  other  good  reasons  no  doubt, 
but  here,  in  my  opinion,  he  made  his  first  mistake  in  this  war : 

"  He  either  fears  his  fate  too  much, 

Or  his  deserts  are  small, 
That  dares  not  put  it  to  the  touch 
To  gain  or  lose  it  all!" 

If  we  had  sent  out  a  thousand  men  they  would  have  reached 
General  Taylor  at  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  May 
when  more  than  one  officer  thought  help  needed.  It  was  after 
wards  said  that  General  Taylor  called  a  council  of  war  on  the 
night  of  the  8th,  and  after  calling  upon  his  officers  for  an 
opinion,  which  was  to  the  effect  that  the  army  should  fall  back 
on  Point  Isabel,  he  broke  it  up  with  the  remark :  "  Well,  gen 
tlemen,  we  will  advance  to-morrow  morning  at  daylight." 
This  was  characteristic  of  the  General ;  but  even  he,  I  think, 
would  not  have  been  sorry  to  see  a  thousand  American  blue 
jackets  on  the  morning  of  the  9th. 

It  must  be  recollected  that  the  Mexican  army,  under  Gen 
eral  Arista,  consisted  of  six  thousand  men,  while  General  Tay 
lor  had  barely  two  thousand. 

On  the  9th  of  May  General  Taylor  advanced  upon  the 
Mexicans  at  Resaca  de  la  Palma  and  utterly  defeated  them. 
This  battle  was  gained  by  an  advance  of  our  whole  line,  and 
as  it  was  somewhat  in  the  nature  of  a  scrimmage  the  sailors 
would  have  given  a  gopd  account  of  themselves,  and  it  would 
have  been  said  that  the  navy  had  saved  the  army.  It  was 
better  for  the  army  as  it  was ;  but  the  navy  lost  a  glorious 


GENERAL  TA  YLOR  AND  COMMODORE  CONNER.  53 

opportunity.  We  were  all  much  disgusted  at  not  being  per 
mitted  to  march  out ;  but  as  no  more  stragglers  came  in,  but 
on  the  contrary  dispatches  were  received  to  the  effect  that  the 
army  had  held  its  own  on  the  8th,  we  were  relieved  of  our 
uneasiness  as  to  its  safety. 

On  the  9th  we  found  the  sound  of  the  guns  becoming  more 
and  more  indistinct  and  towards  nightfall  our  hopes  were  con 
firmed  by  the  news  of  a  glorious  victory. 

I  knew  Commodore  Conner  well ;  I  was  his  aid  for  some 
time.  He  had  served  with  distinction  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  was  in  the  Hornet  when  she  captured  the  Penguin ;  where 
he  was  badly  wounded.  He  was  an  educated  man  and  a  brave 
officer ;  but  during  the  war  he  always  seemed  to  be  too  much 
afraid  of  risking  his  men ;  he  lacked  moral  courage,  and  would 
not  take  the  responsibility  his  position  imposed  upon  him.  Con 
sequently  he  failed. 

After  General  Taylor  had  defeated  the  Mexicans  at  Resaca 
de  la  Palma  and  relieved  Fort  Brown  he  returned  to  Point 
Isabel  and  had  an  interview  with  Commodore  Conner.  The 
newspapers  in  describing  this  interview  pictured  the  commo 
dore  as  appearing  in  a  gorgeous  full  dress :  cocked  hat, 
epaulettes,  &c.,  while  the  general  was  represented  as  being  in 
an  old  coat  and  straw  hat  and  very  shabby.  As  well  as  I  re 
collect  the  commodore  wore  a  jacket  on  that  occasion.  I 
know  he  generally  wore  one,  for  he  had  very  little  of  the 
"  fuss  and  feathers  "  in  his  dress,  though  always  scrupulously 
neat.  But  some  persons  have  the  idea  that  heroes  must  neces 
sarily  be  dirty  and  cannot  be  disabused  of  it.  Just  as  I  have 
observed  that  passengers  on  board  ship  judge  of  a  captain's 
qualifications  by  his  size.  Only  those  who  are  fat,  with  full 
round  stomachs,  are  considered  "  fine  old  seamen  !  "  Why  if 
I  were  a  ship  owner  I  would  not  have  a  captain  in  my  employ 
who  weighed  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  and  a 
large  stomach  should  be  a  sine  qua  non  if  the  vessel  carried 
passengers. 

But  to  return  to  my  story.     Although  we  knew  on  the  9th 


54        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL   OFFICER. 

that  General  Taylor  had  gained  a  victory  that  day  we  were 
still  on  the  qui  vive,  for  it  was  thought  that  the  Mexican  cav 
alry  might  get  round  to  the  rear  of  our  army  and  make  an  at 
tack  on  Point  Isabel ;  and  considering  that  it  was  the  base  of 
General  Taylor's  supplies  and  the  Mexicans  must  have  known 
it  was  feebly  garrisoned,  it  did  seem  reasonable.  That  night 
there  came  up  a  hard  storm,  with  rain  in  torrents.  In  the 
midst  of  it  the  report  was  circulated  that  the  picket  guard 
had  been  driven  in  ;  and  all  was  alarm  and  confusion.  We 
of  the  Potomac  manned  our  heavy  guns,  and  I,  being  Captain 
Aulick's  aid,  was  sent  to  a  distant  part  of  the  post  to  call 
him.  In  performing  this  duty  I  had  to  pass  through  the 
encampment  of  the  John  Adams'  crew,  and  just  at  this  time  the 
men  commenced  to  discharge  their  muskets  to  see — as  they  ex 
plained — "if  they  would  go  off!"  The  balls  whistled  around 
me  like  hail,  and  how  I  escaped  being  hit  is  more  than  I  can 
tell.  I  always  regarded  it  as  my  narrowest  escape  during  the 
war.  However  I  got  to  the  captain's  quarters  all  right,  and 
returned  with  him  to  our  battery,  which  we  reached  about  day 
light.  I  shall  never  forget  the  appearance  of  things  there.  It 
seems  it  was  the  lowest  part  of  the  encampment,  and  the 
water  had  drained  into  the  enclosure  until  it  was  knee-high. 
In  the  darkness  our  fellows  had  lost  their  clothing,  hats  and 
arms — everything  that  would  float  did  so — and  when  we  ar 
rived  all  hands  presented  a  pitiable,  not  to  say  comical,  sight. 
Now  it  is  usual  in  a  man-of-war  to  receive  the  captain  with 
a  certain  amount  of  ceremony,  and  upon  this  occasion  the 
"  officer  of  the  guard,"  Midshipman  Murdaugh,  did  the  best 
he  could  under  the  circumstances.  Seeing  the  captain  coming 
he  managed  to  get  on  a  pair  of  white  trowsers  and  throw  an 
old  cloak  over  his  shoulders,  but  he  had  no  hat.  One  of  the 
passed  midshipmen  had  a  straw  one,  but  declined  to  loan  it, 
(bless  his  stingy  soul)  saying  it  made  no  difference,  seeing 
the  general  condition  of  affairs  in  the  camp.  "  But  it  is  just 
for  the  sake  of  appearance"  said  Murdaugh  earnestly,  and 
putting  it  on  he  received  the  captain  in  due  form. 


MAJOR  RINGGOLD.  55 

This  became  a  by- word  with  us  ill  the  steerage,  and  Mur- 
daugh  never  heard  the  last  of  it.  If  a  midshipman  had  to 
keep  an  extra  watch,  go  in  a  boat,  or  do  anything  disagreeable, 
he  would  remark  that  he  only  did  it  "  for  the  sake  of  appear 
ance."  The  incident  was  even  commemorated  in  a  song,  one 
of  the  verses  of  which  ran  as  follows : 

"  And  then  when  we  landed  at  Point  Isabel, 

To  Taylor's  assistance  to  go, 

Buck  Murdaugh  appeared  in  a  battered  straw  hat, 
And  an  old  ragged  cloak,  and  'twas  borrowed  at  that, — 
'  For  the  sake  of  appearance,'  you  know !  " 

When  General  Taylor  returned  to  Point  Isabel  after  his 
victories,  he  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm,  especially  by 
the  sailors,  who  were  generally  drunk.  They  had  gotten  the 
run  of  the  sutlers'  stores  by  this  time,  and  knew  where  to  get 
whiskey;  but  even  without  sutlers'  stores  they  would  have 
known  where  to  have  found  it.  I  heard  a  lieutenant  say  that 
he  once  sent  a  watch  of  sailors  ashore  for  recreation  on  an 
uninhabited  island  in  the  middle  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  and 
they  all  came  back  drunk !  I  don't  know  anything  about  that, 
but  I  know  that  our  men  were  drunk,  and  when  General  Taylor 
arrived  the  sailors  almost  carried  him  in  their  arms  and  could 
hardly  be  kept  out  of  his  tent.  The  General  was  very  tolerant 
of  them ;  and  here  as  well  as  at  Vera  Cruz  afterwards,  when 
we  were  thrown  much  with  the  regular  army  officers,  I  noticed 
that  they  made  a  pet  of  Jack,  and  allowed  him  all  kinds  of 
liberties.  They  looked  upon  him  as  a  sea-dog  who  should  not 
be  held  responsible  for  anything  he  did  on  shore. 

The  wounded  in  the  two  battles  soon  commenced  to  come 
in,  and  upon  visiting  the  hospital  it  struck  me  as  odd  to  see  our 
soldiers  and  the  Mexican  soldiers  lying  alongside  each  other 
so  sociably.  Poor  Major  Ringgold  of  the  Flying  Artillery  was 
brought  in  desperately  wounded,  and  soon  after  died.  We 
all  attended  his  funeral.  He  introduced  the  drill  of  the  flying 
artillery  in  the  army,  and  commanded  the  first  battery  organized. 


56         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

When  General  Taylor  came  in  his  escort  was  commanded 
by  Captain  Charles  May  who  charged  the  Mexican  artillery 
at  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  and  captured  General  La  Vega  who 
commanded  it.  He  was  the  hero  of  the  hour ;  six  feet  in 
height,  and  with  his  hair  hanging  over  his  shoulders,  he  was 
the  picture  of  a  dashing  dragoon. 

Just  as  May  was  about  to  charge  the  Mexican  batteries, 
Lieutenant  Randolph  Ridgeley,  commanding  Ringgold's  bat 
tery  of  artillery,  and  beyond  a  doubt  the  most  distinguished 
officer  at  the  battle  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  called  out :  "  Hold 
on,  Charley,  until  I  draw  their  fire ;"  which  he  did,  and  May 
then  charged.  For  his  services  May  received  two  brevets; 
and  Ridgeley  but  one,  which  he  declined  to  accept.  It  was 
not  May's  fault,  but  there  was  much  feeling  on  the  subject 
among  those  who  knew  what  Randolph  Ridgeley's  services 
really  were  at  both  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca.  When  May  re 
turned  home  there  was  a  dinner  given  him  at  New  Orleans, 
and  upon  his  rising  to  respond  to  a  toast,  a  voice  from  the  lower 
end  of  the  table  called  out :  "  Hold  on,  Charley,  till  I  draw 
their  fire !" 

In  the  interview  between  General  Taylor  and  Commodore 
Conner  it  was  agreed  that  there  should  be  a  combined  attack 
upon  a  place  called  Burrita,  on  the  Rio  Grande.  Colonel 
Wilson,  with  the  First  Infantry,  was  to  march  by  land  and 
we  were  to  send  a  boat  expedition  up  the  river.  We  accord 
ingly  weighed  and  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande ; 
but  there  being  rather  a  heavy  swell  on  the  bar  the  commodore 
would  not  risk  the  boats.  We  waited  two  days,  and  on  the 
third  the  expedition  started  under  Captain  Aulick.  When  he 
got  to  Burrita  he  found  the  First  Infantry  in  quiet  possession 
of  it — so  here  was  another  disappointment  to  the  navy  and 
another  opportunity  lost. 


WAR  DECLARED.  57 


CHAPTER  VI. 

WAE  DECLAEED— BLOCKADE  OF  THE  COAST— EIVEES  AND  TOWNS  ON  THE 
GULF  OF  MEXICO — BLOCKADE  OF  VEEA  CEUZ — GKEEN  ISLAND — THE 
PIRATES  OF  THE  "FALMOUTHJ> — PASSED  MIDSHIPMAN  HYNSON — BUEN- 
ING  A  VESSEL  UNDEE  THE  CASTLE  OF  SAN  JUAN  DE  ULLOA— MID 
SHIPMAN  EOGEES — LOSS  OF  THE  BEIG  SOMEES — UNLUCKY  VESSELS — 
A.FFAIE  AT  THE  EIO  ANTIGUA — THE  GUNBOAT  EEEFEE— FIRST  AT 
TEMPT  ON  ALVAEADO — THE  BEITISH  FEIGATE  "  ENDYMION." 

THE  war  with  Mexico  was  caused  by  the  annexation  of  the 
independent  State  of  Texas  (which  was  once  a  part  of  Mexico, 
and  had  separated  by  means  of  a  revolution)  to  the  American 
Union.  The  advance  of  the  American  army  to  the  Rio 
Grande  brought  about  the  first  clash  of  arms.  It  now  became 
the  duty  of  our  squadron  to  blockade  all  the  ports  on  the  Gulf 
until  such  time  as  we  were  prepared  to  take  possession  of  them. 
These  ports  were  Matamoras  on  the  Rio  Grande;  Tampico 
on  the  Tampico  river ;  Tuspan  on  the  Tuspan  river ;  Vera  Cruz 
on  the  Gulf;  Alvarado  on  the  Alvarado  river ;  Coatzacoalcos 
on  the  Coatzacoalcos  river,  and  Tabasco  on  the  Tabasco  river. 
This  latter  town  is  also  called  San  Juan  de  Bautista.  All 
these  rivers — save  the  Rio  Grande — are  insignificant  streams, 
and  all  have  very  bad  bars  at  their  mouths.  Vera  Cruz  is 
the  only  one  of  the  places  named  that  has  anything  like  a 
harbor.  The  others,  are  for  vessels  of  any  size,  simply  open 
roadsteads. 

There  are  some  ports  in  Yucatan,  such  as  Laguna  and  Cam- 
peachy,  but  I  think  our  vessels  only  visited  them  for  the  pur 
pose  of  buying  cattle  during  the  war.  To  the  best  of  my 
knowledge  the  State  of  Yucatan,  though  belonging  to  Mexico, 
took  no  part  in  the  war.  It  may  have  been  in  a  state  of  revo 
lution  at  the  time,  but  I  do  not  know. 

3* 


58         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA.  VAL  OFFICER. 

Matarnoras  was  immediately  occupied  without  opposition  by 
the  army  under  General  Taylor,  and  Commodore  Conner  pro 
ceeded  to  distribute  the  vessels  of  his  squadron  to  blockade 
the  other  places.  The  larger  vessels  were  generally  assigned 
to  the  blockade  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  of  this  number  was  our  ship. 

The  squadron  was  largely  increased,  and  among  the  vessels 
that  joined  it  at  one  time  or  another  were  the  sloops-of-war 
Germantown,  Albany,  Saratoga  and  Decatur;  the  steamers 
Spitfire,  Vixen,  Alleghany,  Scorpion  and  Scourge;  the  brig 
Truxtun;  gunboats  Reefer,  B'onita  and  Petrel,  and  (just  be 
fore  the  bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz)  the  Ohio  74,  and  bomb 
vessels  Vesuvius,  Hecla  and  Stromboli.  There  were  more 
small  steamers  and  gunboats,  but  I  cannot  recall  them. 

Upon  our  arrival  off  Vera  Cruz  we  anchored  under  Green 
island  where  we  had  spent  so  many  weary  hours  the  summer 
before.  Our  anchorage  was  about  3 1  miles  from  the  castle  of 
San  Juan ;  out  of  gun-shot  in  those  days,  but  not  by  any  means 
so  in  these  days  of  rifled  100-pounder  guns.  *  The  larger  vessels 
remained  generally  at  anchor,  but  the  smaller  ones  were  kept 
underweigh  on  the  lookout  for  vessels  approaching  the  harbor. 
Occasionally  a  vessel  would  arrive  from  Europe  and  anchor 
under  Green  island.  I  do  not  know  what  we  would  have 
done  for  mess-stores  had  it  not  been  for  these  vessels.  I  think 
ninety  days  grace  was  allowed  vessels  from  foreign  ports  to 
give  them  time  to  hear  of  the  blockade  of  the  coast ;  after  that 
time  they  were  made  prizes  if  caught  attempting  to  go  in  or 
out  of  port.  Most  of  the  vessels  arriving  were  from  German 
ports,  with  assorted  cargoes,  and  their  captains  would  break 
bulk  and  sell  to  our  messes  such  stores  as  wTe  were  in  want  of. 
We  always  kept  a  prize  master  in  them,  and  the  midshipmen 
were  glad  to  be  detailed  for  this  service  as  it  insured  plenty  to 
eat  and  drink.  Our  mess  was  a  poor  one — we  were  always 
hard  up  for  something  to  eat  and  for  money  to  purchase  it.  I 
don't  know  how  it  was ;  we  had  the  best  set  of  fellows  in  the 
world  in  the  steerage,  lived  in  perfect  harmony,  but  no  one 
would  act  as  caterer— we  were  divided  up  into  little  squads 
and  lived  from  hand  to  inouth. 


PIRATES  OF  THE  FALMOUTH.  59 

I  recall  a  piratical  trick  played  on  us  here  by  the  midship 
men  of  the  Falmouth.  We  had  a  gander  belonging  to  the 
mess,  brought  from  Norfolk,  but  he  was  in  bad  condition  and 
not  fit  to  kill — so  one  day  while  it  was  blowing  half  a  gale  of 
wind  we  thought  we  would  send  him  ashore  on  the  island  for 
his  health — we  tied  a  label  on  his  neck  marked  :  "  Potomac's 
steerage  mess,"  and  set  him  adrift.  He  was  bravely  drifting 
towards  the  shore  and  we  were  congratulating  ourselves  upon 
the  success  of  our  manoeuvre,  when  as  he  passed  the  Falmouth 
the  midshipmen  espied  him  and  sent  a  boat  to  pick  him  up. 
We  thought  it  was  blowing  too  hard  to  lower  a  boat ;  but  that 
was  the  last  we  ever  saw  of  our  gander — they  literally  "  cooked 
our  goose  for  us." 

Officers  from  all  the  ships  assembled  every  afternoon  on 
Green  island  for  exercise  and  bathing — there,  too,  we  used  to 
exchange  ideas. 

One  of  the  finest  fellows  in  the  service  I  often  met  on 
Green  island.  I  allude  to  Passed  Midshipman  Hynson,  of 
Maryland.  He  was  drowned  in  the  brig  Somers  when  she 
capsized  and  sunk  off  Vera  Cruz  in  the  fall  of  this  year.  At 
the  time  of  her  sinking  Hynson  had  both  of  his  arms  ban 
daged  and  in  a  sling,  and  was  almost  helpless.  It  was  said 
that  when  the  brig  sunk  he  managed  to  get  hold  of  a  spar 
with  another  man,  and  finding  it  would  not  support  two  he 
deliberately  let  go  his  hold.  It  was  like  him.  The  way  he 
happened  to  have  his  arms  in  a  sling  was  this :  While  the 
Somers  was  maintaining  the  blockade  of  Vera  Cruz  a  vessel 
managed  to  slip  in — I  think  she  was  a  Spanish  schooner.  The 
Mexicans  moored  her  to  the  walls  of  the  castle  of  San  Juan 
for  safety ;  but  the  officers  of  the  Somers  resolved  to  cut  her 
out  or  burn  her.  Hynson  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  affair, 
though  Lieutenant  James  Parker,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  the 
senior  officer.  They  took  a  boat  one  afternoon  and  pulled  in 
to  visit  the  officers  of  an  English  man-of-war  lying  under 
Sacrificios  island.  It  was  quite  usual  to  do  this.  After  night 
fall  they  left  the  British  ship  and  pulled  directly  for  the 


60         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

schooner,  which  they  boarded  and  carried.  This,  be  it  ob 
served,  was  directly  under  the  guns  of  the  castle  and  the 
muskets  of  its  garrison.  The  crew  was  secured,  and  finding 
the  wind  would  not  serve  to  take  the  vessel  out  it  was  resolved 
to  burn  her.  Her  captain  made  some  resistance,  and  the 
sentinel  on  the  Avails  called  out  to  know  what  was  the 
matter.  Parker,  who  spoke  Spanish  remarkably  well,  replied 
that  his  men  were  drunk  and  he  was  putting  them  in  irons. 
The  party  then  set  fire  to  the  vessel  and  got  safely  away  with 
their  prisoners.  It  was  in  setting  fire  to  the  schooner  that 
Hynson  got  so  badly  burned. 

A  short  time  after  this  Passed  Midshipman  Rogers  of  the 
Somers,  accompanied  by  Assistant  Surgeon  Wright,  landed  in 
the  night  on  the  beach  to  the  southward  of  Vera  Cruz,  their 
object  being  to  blow  up  a  magazine  outside  the  city-wall.  A 
Mexican  patrol  coming  up  Mr.  Rogers  was  made  prisoner,  but 
Dr.  Wright  escaped  to  the  boat  and  got  back  to  the  brig. 
The  Mexican  authorities  threatened  to  hang  Rogers  as  a 
spy ;  but  he  wore  his  uniform  at  the  time  of  his  capture  and 
they  could  not  do  so  without  violating  the  rules  of  war. 
Rogers  was  held  a  prisoner  until  the  capture  of  Puebla  by 
Scott's  army  in  1847 ;  he  then  joined  the  Army  and  went 
into  the  city  of  Mexico  with  the  captors.  He  resigned  after 
the  war,  studied  law  and  removed  to  San  Francisco,  where  I 
believe  he  still  lives. 

Although  it  did  not  happen  until  late  in  this  year,  I  will 
mention  here  the  particulars  in  relation  to  the  loss  of  the 
Somers.  She  was  lying  at  anchor  under  Green  island  when  a 
vessel  was  observed  close  to  the  main  land,  evidently  with 
the  intention  of  running  the  blockade.  Captain  R.  Semmes, 
who  commanded  the  Somers,  got  her  underweigh  and  stood  out 
under  topsails  and  foresail  to  intercept  her.  The  brig  was 
nearly  out  of  provisions  and  water,  and  flying  light ;  so  that  it 
made  her  what  sailors  call  crank.  A  heavy  squall  from  the 
northward  struck  her  as  she  was  about  the  middle  of  the 
channel,  and  she  went  over  before  her  sheets  could  be  let  go. 


UNLUCKY  VESSELS.  Gl 

She  carried  down  with  her  Passed  Midshipmen  Clemson  and 
Hynson  and  nineteen  men.  The  survivors  were  saved  by 
boats  from  the  English  and  French  men-of-war  lying  at  Sac- 
rificios  island.  It  was  said  at  the  time  that  if  the  tanks  of 
the  Somers  had  been  filled  up  with  salt  water  she  \vould  not 
have  capsized. 

The  brig  was  named  for  Captain  Richard  Somers,  who  lost 
his  life  off  Tripoli  in  1804.  He  was  in  command  of  the  ketch 
Intrepid,  a  fire-vessel  loaded  with  bombs  and  combustibles, 
and  his  object  was  to  destroy  the  Tripolitan  gunboats  in  the 
harbor  and  perhaps  the  batteries.  He  intended  to  set  fire  to 
the  ketch  and  to  escape  with  his  men  in  a  small  boat.  The 
Intrepid  blew  up  shortly  after  she  entered  the  harbor,  and  all 
hands  were  lost  in  her.  There  was  not  a  man  left  to  tell  the 
tale.  Some  of  Somers'  shipmates  believed  he  blew  her  up  to 
avoid  capture.  He  was  unlucky,  and  the  brig  was  unlucky ; 
and  whatever  may  be  said  about  the  superstitions  of  sailors  there 
does  appear  to  be  "  something  in  a  name" — why,  look  at  the 
name  "America,"  so  popular  with  ship  owners ;  I  know  myself 
of  the  loss  of  the  steamers  Central  America,  North  America, 
South  America,  and  two  named  "  America."  I  was  not  at  all 
surprised  at  reading  of  the  loss  of  the  English  sloop-of-war 
Phoenix  the  other  day.  If  any  man  has  a  doubt  in  reference 
to  unlucky  names  let  him  take  up  a  list  of  shipwrecks  in  the 
British  navy  and  count  up  the  "  Phoenixes,"  "  Pandoras," 
"  Martins"  and  "  Magnets."  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  if 
I  were  a  marine-insurance  man  I  would  charge  a  premium  on 
vessels  named  after  unlucky  ones.  Bismillah  !  on  my  head  be  it. 

After  lying  at  Green  island  for  some  months  it  became 
necessary  to  fill  up  our  water  tanks,  and  the  commodore  de 
cided  to  do  this  at  the  river  Antigua,  a  small  stream  not  many 
miles  to  the  northward  of  Vera  Cruz.  I  shall  always  remem 
ber  this  river  as  it  is  the  place  where  I  first  heard  a  hostile 
shot.  We  got  underweigh  with  a  number  of  other  vessels,  and 
passing  just  out  of  gun-shot  of  the  castle,  anchored  off  the 
mouth  of  the  river  about  sunset  of  the  same  day.  Our  launch  / 


62         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

with  the  water  casks  was  to  go  up  the  river  the  next  morning 
in  charge  of  passed  midshipman  Moore  and  midshipman 
Hunter,  and  I  got  permission  to  go  in  her  as  a  volunteer. 

In  the  morning  at  daybreak  we  started  off,  and  in  company 
with  the  boats  of  the  other  ships  proceeded  up  the  river.  The 
bar  was  rough,  and  in  crossing  it  we  shipped  several  seas  which 
wet  the  muskets  packed  away  in  the  stern  sheets.  The  ex 
pedition  was  composed  of  the  launches  with  the  water  casks, 
and  a  number  of  cutters  with  armed  men  and  marines  to  pro 
tect  them.  It  was  commanded  by  Captain  Engle  of  the 
Princeton,  an  enterprising  and  dashing  officer. 

We  anchored  in  the  river  and  filled  up  our  water  casks ; 
and  I  recall  now  the  extreme  beauty  of  the  scene ;  it  was  a 
very  narrow  river,  the  shores  were  covered  with  tropical  ver 
dure,  and  through  the  groves  of  palm  trees  we  could  catch 
glimpses  of  thatched  huts — we  could  hear  the  birds  singing  in 
the  trees  on  the  banks,  and  all  bore  the  appearance  of  peace 
and  quiet.  We  had  been  so  long  cooped  up  on  board  ship 
that  I  know  I,  for  one,  was  wishing  I  could  get  on  shore. 
The  banks  of  the  river  were  high,  and  away  off  in  the  dis 
tance  was  seen  a  solitary  mounted  vedette,  the  pennon  of  his 
lance  gaily  fluttering  in  the  light  morning  air— he  did  not 
change  his  position  while  we  w7ere  in  the  river  and  his  appear 
ance  made  the  scene  still  more  picturesque.  He  was  the  one 
thing  wranted  to  give  life  to  the  landscape. 

The  boats  having  filled  up  their  water-casks,  we  returned  to 
our  ships  to  discharge  and  get  our  breakfasts.  We  then  re 
turned  to  the  river  for  another  load.  Captain  Engle  did  not 
go  the  second  time,  and  Lieutenant  Boggs  was  the  senior 
officer.  We  crossed  the  bar  safely,  shipped  a  few  seas  as 
before,  and  anchored  in  the  river.  This  time  it  was  thought 
necessary  to  take  more  precautions  and  two  marines  were  landed 
from  one  of  the  cutters  to  act  as  sentinels.  They  commenced  the 
ascent  of  a  small  hill  where  they  could  command  a  better  view, 
and  had  just  reached  the  top  of  it  when  a  volley  was  fired  by 
vthe  Mexicans  lying  in  ambush.  Having  nothing  to  do  with 


A  DRAMATIC  SCENE.  63 

the  boat  I  was  sitting  on  the  rail  watching  these  marines  and 
wishing  I  was  with  them  when  the  firing  commenced. 

To  me  the  scene  instantaneously  changed  to  a  drama,  and  I 
fancied  myself  in  a  theatre.  I  enjoyed  it  very  much.  I  saw 
the  marines  retreat  down  the  hill ;  I  saw  one  of  them  turn 
round  when  half  way  down  and  discharge  his  musket ;  I  saw 
his  hat  fly  away  with  a  bullet  through  it ;  and  then  I  saw  both 
marines  run  madly  into  the  water  and  the  "  play"  concluded. 
Not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  upon  it,  it  became  now  a  regular  sauve 
qui  pent  There  being  no  understanding  as  to  what  we  were  to 
do  the  boats  commenced  to  go  down  the  river  and  did  not  stand 
upon  the  order  of  their  going.  I  saw  the  light  boats  come  flying 
down  the  river  and  pass  the  marines  who  were  standing  up  to 
their  necks  in  the  wrater  and  begging  to  be  taken  in.  It  began 
to  look  as  though  they  would  be  left  to  their  fate — (which  would 
have  been  to  our  everlasting  disgrace),  and  I  was  imploring  Mr. 
Moore  to  pull  to  them  when  the  last  boat  sheered  in  and  picked 
them  up.  In  the  meantime  the  men  in  our  boat  did  not  re 
main  idle  spectators  of  the  scene — not  by  any  means  !  They  were 
trying  to  weigh  the  anchor  and  be  off  with  the  rest ;  but  being 
unable  to  do  so  I'm  afraid  they  cut  the  cable — (we  kept  dark 
about  this  though,  and  it  was  not  known  in  the  squadron ;  other 
wise  like  Mrs.  Gradgrind,  "  we  should  never  have  heard  the  last 
of  it.")  As  soon  as  we  commenced  to  retreat  the  Mexicans,  who 
had  never  ceased  their  fire,  showed  themselves  on  the  banks 
and  followed  us  down  towards  the  mouth  of  the  river.  One 
of  our  men  received  a  ball  in  his  shoulder  about  this  time 
which  brought  me  to  a  better  appreciation  of  the  state  of  affairs 
and  convinced  me  that  it  was  not  a  "  play ;"  so  Hunter  and  I 
commenced  with  the  muskets  in  the  stern  sheets  to  see  if  we 
could  not  bring  down  a  Mexican.  The  muskets  being  wet 
would  not  explode  and  after  trying  five  or  six  I  got  careless  in 
holding  them,  and  the  seventh  happening  to  go  off  I  was 
knocked  heels  over  head  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  The 
Mexicans  reported  afterwards  that  they  had  killed  an  officer, 
and  I  think  they  must  have  seen  me  fall.  Our  boat  being  a 


64         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

very  slow  one  we  had  the  honor  of  bringing  up  the  rear,  and 
we  were,  I  need  not  say  without  any  effort  on  our  part,  the  last 
under  fire. 

The  first  boat  out  was  the  Cumberland's  first  cutter,  as  she 
was  anchored  nearest  the  mouth  of  the  river ;  but  for  a  long 
time  after,  the  officer  who  commanded  her  had  a  good  deal  to 
bear — nothing  could  be  said  about  boating  or  racing  that  some 
devil  of  a  reefer  did  not  slyly  say :  "  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what, 
the  Cumberland's  first  cutter  is  a  fast  boat." 

Now  it  seems  that  this  .whole  performance  was  witnessed 
from  the  ships,  and  the  midshipmen  by  going  aloft  into  the 
tops  could  see  us  all  very  well.  As  the  current  was  running 
out  the  river,  the  boats  appeared  to  leave  the  scene  of  action 
with  remarkable  speed — much  to  the  disgust  of  our  brave 
boys,  who  did  not  comprehend  the  state  of  affairs — so  when 
we  got  back  to  the  ship  they  were  prepared  for  us. 

To  tell  the  truth  I  felt  something  of  a  hero.  I  had  been  in 
a  battle  and  I  had  fired  off  a  musket,  (I  really  believe  it  was 
the  first  I  had  ever  fired,  and  I  was  not  a  little  proud  of  it), 
so  when  I  went  down  to  the  steerage  it  was  with  a  proud  and 
lofty  air.  I  was  received  with  shouts  of  derision ;  remarks 
were  made  of  boats  rowing  twenty  miles  an  hour,  etc.,  etc,, 
until  I  was  glad  to  edge  in  a  word  and  say  meekly,  that  "  I 
was  only  a  volunteer." 

The  upshot  of  this  expedition  was  that  in  the  afternoon  the 
Princeton  anchored  nearer  the  shore  and  shelled  the  woods ;  a 
force  was  landed  which  drove  the  Mexicans  back,  and  the 
boats  finished  filling  up  their  casks.  They  may  have  made 
one  or  two  trips  afterwards,  but  I  do  not  think  we  got  all  the 
water  we  wanted  for  the  squadron.  The  fact  is  the  enemy  had 
us  at  so  great  a  disadvantage  that  they  should  have  killed  or 
wounded  half  of  us  when  they  first  fired.  Sailors  in  boats 
cannot  row  and  fire  at  the  same  time ;  and  even  the  marines 
fire  at  a  great  disadvantage.  It  seems  the  force  attacking  us 
had  been  sent  from  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  Mexicans  claimed  a 
great  victory.  The  Vera  Cruz  papers  were  full  of  it,  and 


THE  O UNBOA  T  REEFER.  65 

stated  that  we  had  lost  many  men ;  but  I  think  we  had  but 
one  man  wounded. 

It  was  while  we  were  lying  off  the  Antigua  river  that  the 
first  of  the  gunboats  arrived.  It  was  the  Reefer,  Lieutenant 
Commanding  Sterrett.  She  was  a  very  small  schooner,  mount 
ing  one  gun.  I  went  alongside  her  once  in  our  barge,  which 
was  nearly  as  long,  and  not  knowing  any  better  stepped 
over  her  port  quarter.  The  first  lieutenant  immediately  in 
formed  me  in  no  very  gentle  tone  that  "  there  was  a  gangway 
to  that  vessel ! "  Oh !  there  was  a  good  deal  of  style  kept  up 
in  these  schooners,  if  they  were  little ;  they  were  gotten  under- 
weigh  with  the  longest  of  speaking-trumpets  and  the  hoarsest 
of  voices ;  and  I  once  saw  one  of  them  crossing  the  stern  of 
the  line  of-battle-ship  Ohio,  and  carefully  throwing  the  lead. 
They  drew  about  six  feet  of  water !  These  gunboats  did  good 
service  in  Mexico,  and  took  part  in  all  the  engagements.  In 
port  they  looked  very  cosy  and  comfortable — at  least  in  good 
weather — but  at  sea  they  were  mostly  under  water ;  still  I  do 
not  remember  that  one  of  them  was  lost  during  the  war. 

The  first  important  expedition  undertaken  by  us  was  for 
the  capture  of  Alvarado,  a  town  near  the  mouth  of  the  Alva- 
rado  river,  which  is  thirty-three  miles  S.  E.  of  Vera  Cruz. 
We  went  there  with  the  squadron  and  anchored  off  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  outside  the  bar,  which  has  only  eight  or  ten  feet 
of  water  on  it.  We  were  within  long  range  of  the  batteries ; 
at  least  I  suppose  we  were  writhin  range,  as  we  went  to  quar 
ters  and  cast  loose  the  guns.  The  gunboats  anchored  much 
closer  in.  We  saw  the  Mexicans  manning  their  batteries, 
and  there  were  a  number  of  small  armed  vessels  lying  in  the 
river ;  among  them  a  fine  brig,  which  should  have  been  cut 
out  that  night  and  added  to  our  squadron.  We  did  not  open 
fire  from  the  ships,  but  during  the  afternoon  and  night  the 
gunboats  were  engaged  with  the  enemy,  both  with  their  heavy 
guns  and  small  arms.  A  boat  expedition  was  organized  to 
go  in  the  next  day,  and  there  was  not  much  sleeping  in  the 
wardroom  and  steerage  that  night.  The  lieutenants  selected 


66         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

for  the  boat-work  were  writing  letters  home,  and  probably 
making  their  wills.  The  midshipmen  were  sharpening  their 
swords,  loading  their  pistols,  eating  hard  tack  and  salt  junk, 
and  boasting  of  what  they  intended  to  do  the  next  day. 
There  was  no  drinking  in  our  steerage,  but  there  was  noise 
enough  to  scare  all  the  Mexicans  in  Alvarado  if  they  could 
have  heard  it.  Those  appointed  to  go  in  the  boats  were  the 
operators  and  loud  talkers,  while  we  unfortunates  who  were 
to  remain  on  board  confined  ourselves  to  criticising  the  com 
modore  and  growling  generally.  The  morning  broke  cloudy 
and  gloomy,  but  there  was  nothing  particularly  threatening  in 
the  look  of  the  weather.  About  9  o'clock  a  general  signal  was 
thrown  out  by  the  flag-ship,  and  words  cannot  express  our 
astonishment  at  reading :  "  Return  to  the  anchorage  off  Vera 
Cruz." 

It  was  said  that  the  pilots  predicted  a  "  Norther,"  but  I 
believe  that  Commodore  Conner's  strongest  adherents  were 
shaken  in  their  faith  after  this  fiasco.  We  returned  as  or 
dered,  and  in  beating  up  the  coast  that  day  we  were  in  com 
pany  with  the  British  frigate  Endymion.  The  Endymion  was 
one  of  a  squadron  of  four  frigates  that  captured  the  U.  S. 
frigate  President,  Commodore  Stephen  Decatur,  in  1814.  On 
that  occasion  the  Endymion  was  badly  crippled  by  the  Presi 
dent,  and  would  have  been  captured  had  she  been  alone.  The 
late  Commodore  Hollins  was  a  midshipman  on  board  the 
President  at  the  time,  and  I  remember  his  giving  me  a  full 
account  of  the  chase  and  capture  in  1876.  After  a  lapse  of 
sixty- two  years  the  commodore  related  all  the  circumstances 
with  as  much  minuteness  as  though  it  had  happened  but  a 
month  before. 

The  Endymion  had  accompanied*th*e  squadron  to  Alvarado 
to  see  the  fun ;  and  she  saw  it !  and  as  if  this  was  not  mortifi 
cation  enough  for  one  day,  she  beat  us  sailing.  Whether  it 
was  that  our  captain  was  laboring  under  a  fit  of  disgust  or 
not,  he  would  not  make  any  effort  to  prevent  it.  Our  yards 
and  sails  were  not  properly  trimmed  and  set,  and  no  attempt 


THE  BRITISH  FRIGATE  « END YMION."  67 

was  made  to  trim  ship — for  the  Potomac  sailed  very  well  when 
by  the  head. 

Midshipman  Hodge  of  the  Cumberland  "  took  the  rise  "  out 
of  the  Britishers,  though,  a  few  days  afterwards.  He  was 
sent  to  the  Endymion  with  a  dispatch,  and  upon  leaving  one 
of  her  midshipmen  accompanied  him  to  the  gangway,  and 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  say :  "  This  is  the  ship  that 
took  the  President,  you  know !  "  "  Ah ! "  said  Hodge,  casting 
his  eye  aloft,  "  I  see  you  have  put  extensive  repairs  on  her 
since  that  day."  The  best  of  it  was  that  Hodge,  being  just 
"  caught,"  did  not  know  one  rope  from  another. 

As  I  have  said,  this  feeble  attempt  upon  Alvarado  satisfied 
the  officers  that  Conner  was  "  not  the  man  for  Galway ; " 
and  I  can  attest  that  while  he  commanded  the  squadron  any 
thing  like  enterprise  or  adventure  was  discouraged.  The 
affair  of  burning  the  schooner  under  the  walls  of  the  castle 
was  disapproved ;  if  a  boat  at  night,  out  looking  for  vessels 
trying  to  run  the  blockade,  took  an  opportunity  to  reconnoitre 
the  castle  and  defences  of  the  town,  it  was  disapproved — 
everything  of  the  kind,  in  short,  was  frowned  upon.  We 
should  at  one  time  or  another  have  cut  out  every  gunboat  at 
Alvarado  and  every  other  place.  We  had  the  officers  and 
the  men  to  do  it,  and  all  we  wanted  was  the  word.  Our  fiasco 
at  Alvarado  was  highly  ridiculed  by  American  papers  and 
was  a  sore  spot  in  our  memories. 


68        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CAPTUEE    OF    TAMPIGO — SLIPPING  OFF    TAMPICO   IF  A  "  NORTHER  " — THE 

u.  s.  SHIP  "HORNET" — VESSELS  OF  THE  u.  s.  NAVY  LOST  BETWEEN 

1841-61 — PENSACOLA — YELLOW  FEVER — SECOND  ATTEMPT  ON  ALVA- 
EADO — ADMIRAL  JOSHUA  SANDS — ATTACK  ON  TOBASCO  —  DEATH  OF 
LIEUTENANT  CHARLES  MORRIS — CAPTAIN  FRENCH  FORREST — INCIDENTS 
OF  THE  BLOCKADE  OF  VERA  CRUZ— ANTON  LIZARDO— NARROW  ESCAPE 

OF  THE  ''CUMBERLAND'' — LOSS  OF  THE  u.  s.  BRIG  "TRUXTUN" — A  MAN 

HANGED  AT  THE  YARD-ARM  OF  THE  U.  S.  SHIP  "  ST.  MARYS " — VISIT 
PENSACOLA  AND  RETURN  TO  VERA  CRUZ. 

SHORTLY  after  this  attempt  on  Alvarado  the  squadron  sailed 
to  attack  Tampico,  a  town  of  about  7,000  inhabitants,  on  the 
Tampico  river  210  miles  north  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  next  to  that 
city  the  largest  and  most  important  place  on  the  coast.  It 
was  said  that  the  wife  of  the  American  consul,  who  re 
mained  in  the  city,  had  long  been  in  communication  with 
Commodore  Conner,  and  finally  wrote  him  that  the  city  would 
yield,  without  resistance,  to  the  appearance  of  force.  This  must 
have  been  so ;  for  we  went  there,  and  sending  in  the  light 
steamers  and  gunboats,  the  town  surrendered  to  us  without  a 
fight.  I  did  not  accompany  the  detail  from  our  ship  up  to  the 
city,  and  do  not  recall  any  incidents  of  interest  in  relation  to 
the  expedition. 

The  bar  off  the  mouth  of  the  Tampico  river  is  considered 
the  most  dangerous  on  the  coast,  and  many  lives  have  been 
lost  on  it.  Sharks  are  numerous  in  the  vicinity,  as  though 
they  knew  of  the  dangers  of  the  place  and  the  probabilities  of 
prey.  We  anchored  off  the  bar  in  the  Potomac,  and  re 
mained  for  some  time  after  the  place  fell.  Tampico  was 
immediately  occupied  by  the  Army,  and  the  Army  may  have 


SLIPPING  OFF  TAMPICO  IN  A  "NORTHER."      69 

co-operated  with  us  in  its  capture ;  but  I  cannot  say  positively. 
I  only  know  that  there  were  troops  there  immediately  after 
its  capture,  if  not  before. 

It  was  the  "  Norther "  season  while  we  were  there,  and  as 
vessels  never  attempt  to  ride  these  heavy  gales  out  at  an 
chor  in  the  open  roadstead,  we  had  our  topsails  reefed 
before  furling,  and  a  slip-rope  and  buoy  on  the  chain. 
These  "  Northers  "  spring  up  suddenly  and  blow  with  great 
violence  along  this  coast  from  Galveston,  Texas,  to  Alva- 
rado ;  below  Alvarado  they  do  not,  I  think,  blow  home,  as 
sailors  call  it. 

One  very  beautiful  evening  we  were  all  on  deck  watching 
the  sunset  and  listening  to  the  music  of  our  band,  when  we 
saw  a  small  steamer  with  troops  (sick  men  I  presume)  coming 
out  over  the  bar.  She  was  a  river-boat,  and  not  intended  for 
the  ocean  ;  but  the  exigencies  of  the  times  pressed  into  service 
many  such  "  rattletraps  "  for  the  transportation  of  troops  and 
stores.  I  did  not  wonder  at  hearing  soldiers  say  they  did  not 
like  "  going  to  sea"  when  I  saw  the  kind  of  vessels  the  quar 
termasters  chartered  to  transport  them  from  place  to  place 
during  this  war.  Delightful  as  the  sea  is,  especially  off  Cape 
Horn,  in  winter,  a  hard  gale,  with  the  hatches  battened  down 
and  the  water  knee-deep  in  the  steerage ;  or  on  the  coast  of 
Africa  in  a  dead  calm,  thermometer  at  ninety  degrees,  and 
hatchways  covered  during  a  hard  rain, — still,  packed  like 
herrings  in  an  unseaworthy  craft  resembling  what  sailors  call 
the  ship  "  Doodledeaddidee,  (I  am  not  sure  about  the  spelling 
of  this  tall  word)  with  three  decks  and  no  bottom"  is  quite 
another  thing.  But  "this,"  as  Mr.  Toots  says,  "is  a  digres 
sion." 

The  steamer  crossed  the  bar  safely  and  stood  to  the  north 
ward,  bound  to  New  Orleans.  I  do  not  know  why,  but  we  all 
watched  this  little  vessel  until  she  disappeared  in  the  gloom 
of  the  night.  I  had  no  watch  that  night,  and  not  feeling 
sleepy — which  was  an  abnormal  state  for  a  reefer  to  be  in — I 
passed  the  first  watch  with  Hunter  (familiarly  known  as 


70        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

"Nag.")  About  eleven  o'clock  a  light  breeze  sprang  up  from 
the  northward  and  Hunter  was  directed  to  inform  the  captain, 
who  immediately  came  on  deck  and  ordered  all  hands  called. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  the  wind  increased  to  a  gale  like  magic. 
As  we  had  close-reefed  the  topsails  we  had  only  to  sheet  them 
home  and  slip  the  chain  to  be  underweigh. 

The  John  Adams  and  the  British  brig  Daring  were  in  com 
pany,  and  it  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  them  rearing  and  pitching 
in  the  heavy  sea  that  was  soon  raised.  I  do  not  remember 
ever  to  have  known  it  to  blow  harder  than  it  did  on  this  occa 
sion.  As  soon  as  wre  got  wrell  clear  of  the  land  wre  furled  the 
and  mizen  topsails  and  hove  to  under  a  close-reefed  main 
topsail  and  fore  storm  staysail,  with  the  ship's  head  offshore. 
We  lost  sight  of  our  consorts  and  did  not  see  them  again  until 
we  returned  to  our  anchorage  off  Tampico. 

It  was  under  precisely  similar  circumstances  that  the  U.  S. 
sloop-of-war  Hornet,  Captain  Norris,  slipped  from  her  an 
chorage  here  in  September,  1829,  and  she  has  never  been  heard 
of  since  —  foundered  with  all  hands  on  board !  She  had 
previously  touched  at  Havana,  and  while  firing  a  signal  gun 
her  first  lieutenant,  the  late  Commodore  Young,  was  so  much 
injured  by  the  recoil  of  a  gun  as  to  require  the  amputation  of 
both  of  his  legs.  He  was  sent  home  from  Havana  and  lived 
for  more  than  forty  years  after  the  loss  of  his  ship. 

During  my  twenty  years'  service  in  the  U.  S.  Navy  the 
following  vessels  wrere  lost  at  sea,  and  never  afterwards 
heard  of:  Schooner  Grampus,  Lieutenant  Commanding  Albert 
Downes,  on  our  coast,  in  1841 ;  brig  Porpoise,  Lieutenant  Com 
manding  Bridge,  off  the  island  of  Formosa,  in  1853  or  4; 
sloop-of-war  Albany,  Commander  Gerry,  in  the  West  Indies, 
in  1855;  and  the  sloop-of-war  Levant,  Commander  William 
Hunt,  near  the  Sandwich  Islands,  about  1860.  Nothing  has 
ever  been  heard  of  any  of  these  vessels. 

Upon  our  return  to  Tampico  we  heard  that  the  little  steamer 
I  have  mentioned  put  back  as  soon  as  she  encountered  the 
gale,  and  in  attempting  to  cross  the  bar  was  lost  with  all  hands 


SECOND  A  TTEMPT  ON  AL  VARADO.  7 1 

on  board.     No  wonder  we  watched  her  with  so  much  interest 
the  evening  she  sailed : 

"  'Tis  the  sunset  of  life  gives  me  mystical  lore, 
And  coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before," 

sings  Campbell. 

We  had  many  of  these  "  Northers  "  during  the  cruise,  and 
I  remember  I  rather  liked  them.  Our  hammocks  were  not 
piped  up  during  their  continuance,  and  we  midshipmen  had 
fine  times  below,  sleeping  as  late  as  we  pleased  and  skylarking. 
One  of  our  amusements  was  to  turn  the  mess-table  bottom  up, 
get  on  it,  and  slide  to  and  fro  as  the  ship  rolled.  Much  we 
cared  for  gales  of  wind  in  those  days ! 

From  Tampico  the  Potomac  went  to  Pensacola  for  provisions 
and  wrater,  and  we  arrived  there  in  July,  1846.  The  yellow  fever 
prevailed  in  the  town  and  navy  yard  at  the  time ;  but  we  had 
only  two  cases  on  board,  of  which  I  was  one,  as  I  have  pre 
viously  stated.  We  remained  here  only  a  few  weeks  and  were 
busily  engaged  in  provisioning  the  ship  during  that  time. 
Midshipmen  Monroe,  Carmichael,  Somerville,  Powell  and 
Murdaugh  left  us  here  to  report  at  the  Naval  Academy, 
Annapolis,  for  examination  ;  so  McLane,  Pembroke  Jones,  Nag 
Hunter  and  I  were  left  to  "  battle  the  watch "  alone.  Upon 
our  return  to  the  squadron  at  Vera  Cruz  we  heard  of  the  loss 
of  the  brig  Somers,  an  account  of  which  I  have  already  given. 
We  heard,  too,  that  in  our  absence  a  second  attempt  had  been 
made  upon  Alvarado.  On  this  occasion  the  commodore  had  a 
larger  force  than  upon  the  first.  The  force  was  divided  into 
two  divisions,  each  consisting  of  small  steamers  having  in  tow 
gunboats  and  cutters ;  and  the  intention  was  to  make  a  dash 
across  the  bar  and  storm  the  place  with  the  men  in  the  boats. 

Commodore  Conner  was  on  board  the  steamer  Vixen,  Cap 
tain  Joshua  Sands ;  his  division  had  crossed  the  bar,  and  was 
nearly  under  fire  when  he  saw  that  the  second  division,  under 
Captain  French  Forrest,  had  grounded.  "  Well,  Sands,  what 
is  to  be  done  now  ? "  said  the  commodore.  "  Go  ahead  and 


72         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

fight  like  h-11,"  answered  Sands.  Unfortunately  the  commo 
dore  did  not  take  his  advice,  Ibut  turned  back,  when  if  he  had 
gone  a  cable's  length  farther  the  Mexicans  would  have  sur 
rendered.  So  ended  the  second  attempt  on  Alvarado,  and  the 
papers  sent  up  a  howl  of  derision  over  its  failure. 

Captain  Joshua  Sands  commanded  the  steamer  Vixen 
throughout  the  war.  The  Vixen  was  a  sister  ship  to  the  Spit 
fire,  Captain  Tatnall,  and  was  in  all  the  engagements  with 
her.  Sands'  name  was  not  so  frequently  heard,  perhaps,  as 
Tatnall's,  but  he  proved  himself  a  gallant  officer  en  all  occa 
sions.  He  is  now  an  admiral  on  the  retired  list,  and  the 
oldest  officer  in  the  navy. 

When  he  was  a  lieutenant  returning  from  a  long  cruise  in 
the  Pacific  in  the  Franklin  74,  bearing  the  flag  of  Commodore 
Charles  Stewart,  while  she  was  lying  to  in  a  gale  of  wind  off  Cape 
Horn,  under  a  close-reefed  main  topsail,  a  man  fell  overboard. 
Sands  was  under  "  suspension  from  duty  "  at  the  time  and  not 
allowed  to  go  on  the  quarter-deck,  but  as  the  lee-quarter  boat 
was  being  lowered  to  save  the  man,  he  sprang  into  it  through 
one  of  the  main-deck  ports.  The  boat  was  lowrered  and  got 
away  from  the  ship's  side  when  they  found  there  were  in  it 
but  Sands,  the  sailing  master  E.  Peck,  and  two  men.  Peck 
who  had  been  a  foremast  hand  was  a  fine  practical  seaman, 
and  getting  an  oar  out  aft  he  managed  to  keep  the  boat's  head 
to  the  sea  until  the  ship  picked  them  up,  which  singularly 
enough  under  the  circumstances,  she  managed  to  do.  I  forget 
whether  the  man  was  saved  or  not.  Upon  the  return  of  the 
party  on  board  Commodore  Stewrart  put  Sands  under  arrest 
for  "  leaving  the  ship  without  permission !  "  This  anecdote 
was  told  me  by  Admiral  Sands  himself  only  a  few  years  ago ; 
he  said  Peck  saved  his  life. 

A  short  time  after  the  Alvarado  affair  an  expedition  was 
fitted  out  to  make  an  attack  on  Tobasco,  a  town  on  the  Tobasco 
river,  seventy-five  miles  above  its  mouth.  Tobasco  contained 
about  5,000  inhabitants,  and  the  troops  of  the  state  were  as 
sembled  there  under  the  command  of  General  Bravo,  a  bold 


ATTACK  ON  TOBASCO.  73 

and  enterprising  officer.  I  believe  General  Bravo  had  sent 
several  messages  to  Commodore  Conner  inviting  him  to  make 
an  attack  on  Tobasco,  and  we  knew  pretty  well  that  there 
would  be  an  obstinate  defence  on  his  part.  Indeed  the  To- 
bascans  prided  themselves  on  their  courage  and  they  were 
anxious  to  emulate  their  brethren  of  Alvarado.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  that  the  native  Indian  of  this  part  of  Mexico  is 
physically  brave. 

The  river  Tobasco  was  first  visited  by  the  Spaniards,  under 
Grijalva  in  1518.  Cortez  stopped  here  in  1519,  and  had  a 
desperate  encounter  with  the  inhabitants.  Bernal  Diaz  says  that 
after  his  fight  they  dressed  the  wounds  of  the  men  and  horses 
with  the  fat  of  Indians  !  I  think  the  town  called  at  that  time 
Tobasco  is  the  present  Frontera,  for  Bernal  Diaz  says :  "  Our 
troops  proceeded  to  the  shore  and  disembarked  at  the  Point  of 
Palmare,  which  was  distant  from  the  town  of  Tobasco  about 
half  a  league."  Cortez  changed  its  name  to  Santa  Maria  de  la 
Vittoria. 

Our  expedition  was  commanded  by  Commodore  M.  C.  Perry, 
who  had  lately  joined  as  second  in  command  and  who  had  his 
flag  on  the  good  old  steamship  Mississippi,  a  ship  that  did 
more  hard  work  in  her  time  than  any  steamer  in  the  Navy 
has  done  since — and  she  was  built  as  far  back  as  1841. 

Commodore  Perry's  command,  consisting  of  small  steamers, 
gunboats  and  cutters  arrived  off  the  Tobasco  river  one  after 
noon,  and  dashing  across  the  bar  captured  the  town  of  Frontera, 
near  its  mouth,  almost  before  the  Mexicans  knew  they  were 
there.  Two  river  boats  plying  between  Frontera  and  Tobasco 
were  lying  at  the  wharf ;  one  of  them  with  steam  up  and  the 
supper  table  spread.  The  town  and  vessels  were  taken  possession 
of  without  opposition,  and  the  supper  was  enjoyed  by  the  captors. 
In  one  of  these  steamboats  I  recognised  the  old  steamer  Cham 
pion,  a  boat  that  once  ran  between  Richmond  and  Norfolk. 
She  was  very  fast,  and  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
Lockwood,  was  very  useful  to  the  squadron  afterwards  as  a 
dispatch  boat.  The  commodore  went  up  the  river  to  Tobasco 
4 


74         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

with  his  little  fleet  and  captured  a  large  number  of  small  ves 
sels  lying  off  the  town.  The  authorities,  however,  would  not 
capitulate,  and  at  the  prayer  of  the  foreign  consuls  the  com 
modore  forbore  to  bombard  the  place.  The  soldiers  had  evac 
uated  it,  and  the  commodore  spared  the  town  from  motives  of 
humanity,  though  I  do  not  think  the  Mexicans  appreciated 
it.  While  our  men  were  taking  possession  of  the  various 
prizes  the  Mexicans  kept  up  a  fire  from  the  banks  by 
which  Lieutenant  Charles  Morris,  a  son  of  the  distinguished 
Commodore  Charles  G.  Morris,  lost  his  life.  He  was  standing 
up  in  his  boat  when  a  musket  ball  pierced  his  heart.  He  was 
a  very  fine  officer,  and  his  death  was  much  deplored  by  us  all. 

Commodore  Perry  finding  the  Mexican  military  had  fallen 
back  a  short  distance  only  from  the  town  determined  now  to 
land  a  force  and  fight  the  enemy  wherever  he  could  find  him. 
The  landing  party  of  marines  and  sailors  was  under  the  com 
mand  of  Captain  French  Forrest,  a  man  who  literally  did  not 
know  the  meaning  of  the  word  fear.  He  had  a  programme 
written  out  and  after  getting  on  shore  was  very  particular  in 
seeing  that  every  officer  and  man  took  his  position  in  accord 
ance  with  this  programme.  This  it  took  some  time  to  do,  and 
as  the  party  was  under  a  dropping  fire  of  musketry  the  men 
became  very  impatient  to  advance,  but  Forrest  would  have 
his  own  way :  all  of  a  sudden  he  called  out  impatiently : 
"  Where  is  that  base  drummer,  where  is  that  base  drummer  ?" 
then  pausing  a  moment  he  said  quietly :  "  Oh !  I  forgot,  he 
broke  his  drum-head  this  morning  and  couldn't  come." 

Before  Captain  Forrest  had  everything  arranged  to  his 
satisfaction  the  commodore  concluded  it  would  be  better  not 
to  send  the  men  out  from  the  cover  of  the  guns  of  his  squadron. 
He  thought  the  game  was  not  worth  the  candle,  and  it  assuredly 
was  not.  The  landing  party  was  recalled  and  the  commodore 
proceeded  down  the  river  with  his  prizes.  As  the  town  of  To- 
basco  was  not  occupied  by  us  the  inhabitants  affected  to  con 
sider  this  a  victory  for  their  side,  and  became  correspondingly 
"  cheeky ;"  but  we  took  the  conceit  out  of  them  a  few  months 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  BLOCKADE  OF  VERA  CRUZ.   75 

after  as  I  shall  relate.  This  expedition  to  Tobasco  took  place 
while  the  Potomac  was  temporarily  absent  from  the  squadron. 
We  were  all  very  sorry  not  to  have  had  a  hand  in  it  and  to 
have  been  on  what  was  known  as  Forrest's  program-we.  When 
we  got  back  to  the  squadron  we  resumed  the  blockade  of  Vera 
Cruz,  sometimes  remaining  some  days  under  sail,  and  then 
again  anchoring  under  Green  island.  AVhile  the  vessels  were 
at  anchor  they  sent  their  boats  out  at  night  to  cruise  in  the 
channel  between  Green  island  and  the  main.  The  service  was 
arduous  and  dangerous.  While  out  on  this  duty  the  launch  of 
the  Mississippi  in  charge  of  Midshipmen  Pillsbury  and  Bridge 
capsized  one  night  and  Midshipman  Pillsbury  and  some  men 
were  drowned.  The  survivors  clung  to  the  boat  all  night  and 
were  picked  up  the  next  morning  in  a  pitiable  condition. 
Bridge  was  afterwards  drowned  in  the  U.  S.  brig  Porpoise  off 
the  island  of  Formosa.  He  was  in  command  of  her  at  the 
time.  The  Porpoise  separated  from  the  sloop-of-war  Vincennes 
in  a  typhoon  and  has  never  been  heard  of  since.  This  was  in 
1853-54. 

Our  boats  caught  a  brig  one  night  attempting  to  run  the 
blockade,  and  brought  her  to  us  at  Green  island.  We  found 
several  military-looking  men  among  her  passengers,  and  Cap 
tain  Aulick  sent  for  them  to  come  on  board  the  Potomac. 
They  had  a  long  interview  with  him  in  the  cabin  and  finally 
were  allowed  to  return  to  the  brig,  and  it  was  understood  by 
us  that  the  brig  was  to  be  permitted  to  return  to  Havana, 
which  was  the  port  she  had  sailed  from.  She  got  underweigh 
that  afternoon  with  the  sea  breeze,  stood  to  the  northward  a 
short  distance,  and  then  putting  her  helm  up,  she  squared 
away  for  Vera  Cruz  under  all  sail,  and  got  safely  in  under 
the  castle.  We  sent  boats  to  chase  her,  and  pretended  to  fire 
on  her  ;  but  it  was  evidently  a  "  put-up  job."  There  was  some 
shenanigan  about  it,  but  our  captain  never  referred  to  it 
again.  No  doubt  he  had  secret  instructions. 

It  is  well  known  that  we  permitted  General  Santa  Anna  to 
return  to  the  country  (from  which  he  had  been  banished  in 


76          RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

1845)  during  the  war.  He  landed  at  Vera  Cruz  with  his 
staff  in  an  English  mail  steamer ;  our  boarding  officer  per 
mitted  him  to  land  by  order  of  the  commodore.  This  was  a 
wonderful  stroke  of  policy  on  the  part  of  our  Government.  It 
was  thought  that  Santa  Anna  would  immmediately  bring 
about  a  peace  with  us.  He  commenced  his  operations  in  that 
way  at  Buena  Vista,  and  followed  them  up  at  Cerro  Gordo, 
Contreras  and  Chapultepec ! 

It  was  some  time  in  the  summer  of  1846  that  Commodore 
Conner  determined  to  make  the  anchorage  at  Anton  Lizardo 
the  general  rendezvous  for  his  fleet,  which  now  began  to 
assume  large  proportions.  Anton  Lizardo  is  twelve  miles  S. 
E.  of  Vera  Cruz.  The  harbor  is  an  excellent  one,  and  is 
formed  by  the  coral  islands-  lying  off  the  point,  and  which 
make  a  lee  from  the  "  northers."  There  are  passages  between 
the  islands  to  the  northwest  and  southeast,  and  as  well  as  I  can 
recollect,  the  anchorage  is  perfectly  safe  in  all  winds.  It  is  a 
pity  Vera  Cruz  had  not  been  located  there. 

The  frigates  Cumberland,  Potomac  and  Raritan,  with  some 
slobps-of-war  and  numerous  small  craft  started  in  company 
for  this  place  one  day,  leaving  the  Mississippi  and  some  other 
vessels  on  the  blockade  off  Vera  Cruz.  Our  station  was  im 
mediately  astern  of  the  flag-ship  Cumberland,  and  it  soon 
became  evident  to  Captain  Aulick  that  we  were  not  steering 
for  the  proper  passage  between  the  coral  islands.  He  hauled 
his  wind  somewhat  which  brought  him  on  the  port  quarter 
of  the  flag-ship.  The  commodore  was  warned  by  his  pilot  and 
others  that  he  was  attempting  the  wrong  passage,  but  he  was 
obstinate  and  held  on  until  he  brought  up  on  the  reef  hard 
and  fast  aground.  It  is  a  wonder  his  masts  did  not  go  over 
the  bows,  but  they  held.  When  it  was  seen  that  the  Cumber 
land  had  struck  an  amusing  scene  occurred.  It  reminded  me 
of  a  large  boy  getting  into  trouble  and  being  deserted  by  his 
friends.  The  vessels  scattered  in  every  direction.  Our  cap 
tain  hauled  on  a  wind  and  stood  away  to  the  northward  as 
though  he  intended  making  for  Pensacola,  and  even  the  little 


LOSS  OF  THE  U.  S.  BRIG  "  TBUXTUN."  77 

gunboats,  which  only  drew  six  feet,  steered  for  the  open  sea. 
The  effect  upon  the  commodore  was  to  make  him  furious.  He 
immediately  made  general  signal  to  "  anchor  near  the  flag 
ship;"  but  it  took  a  verbal  order,  communicated  by  the 
flag-lieutenant,  to  bring  the  Potomac  down  within  hail  of  the 
flag-ship.  As  it  was  we  found  a  sunken  rock  not  very  far 
astern  of  us. 

Signal  was  at  once  made  to  the  Mississippi,  and  about  ten 
o'clock  she  came  to  the  commodore's  assistance.  The  night 
was  employed  in  taking  out  the  Cumberland's  stores  to  lighten 
her — fortunately  the  weather  remained  good.  The  first  thing 
Captain  Aulick  did  the  next  morning  was  to  take  a  boat  and 
sound  round  his  ship.  I  accompanied  him,  and  it  being  Very 
rough  and  before  breakfast,  I  was  seasick  for  the  first  and 
only  time  in  my  life. 

The  Mississippi  now  got  her  stream  cable  fast  to  the  Cum 
berland,  and  during  the  morning  she  got  her  afloat;  and  if 
the  Mississippi  had  not  been  at  hand,  I  do  not  think  the 
Cumberland  would  have  been  gotten  off.  That  afternoon  the 
squadron  anchored  at  Anton  Lizardo,  which  ever  afterwards 
was  our  headquarters.  The  Cumberland  was  so  much  damaged 
that  it  was  found  necessary  to  send  her  home  to  be  docked, 
and  as  the  Raritan  had  been  a  long  time  in  commission  and 
the  times  of  her  men  were  out,  it  was  decided  to  exchange  the 
officers  and  crews  of  the  two  vessels.  This  was  accordingly 
done,  and  the  Cumberland  sailed  for  Boston  under  Captain 
Gregory,  and  the  Raritan,  Captain  Forrest,  became  the  flag 
ship.  Upon  reflection  I  think  that  this  occurred  in  the  summer 
of  1846,  not  very  long  after  the  return  of  the  vessels  from 
Point  Isabel,  and  I  think  the  capture  of  Tampico  must  have 
been  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  after  the  visit  of  the  Potomac  to 
Pensacola,  and  not  before  as  I  have  stated.  In  fact  the 
"  northers "  only  blow  in  the  fall  and  winter. 

We  were  lying  at  Anton  Lizardo  when  we  heard  of  the  loss 
of  the  U.  S.  brig  Truxtun,  Captain  Carpenter.  The  news  was 
brought  by  Lieutenant  Bushrod  Hunter.  The  Truxtun  was 


78        RECOLLECTION'S  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

blockading  the  port  of  Tuspan,  some  120  miles  northwest  of 
Vera  Cruz,  and  got  ashore  near  enough  to  the  land  to  be  under 
the  fire  of  some  small  guns  which  the  Mexicans  brought  down 
to  the  shore.  The  captain  sent  a  boat  under  Lieutenant  Bush- 
rod  Hunter  to  report  the  disaster  to  the  commodore,  and  soon 
after  determined  to  surrender.  This  was,  I  believe,  opposed 
by  his  officers  and  crew.  It  was  said  afterwards  that  the  quar 
termaster  on  duty  positively  refused  to  obey  the  order  to  haul 
down  the  flag.  Either  before  this  was  done  or  immediately 
after  Lieutenant  Otway  Berryman  left  with  a  boat's  crew  and 
got  safely  to  the  ships  blockading  Vera  Cruz.  The  remaining 
officers  and  men  were  made  prisoners  by  the  enemy  and  sent 
to  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  brig  taken  possession  of.  As  soon  as 
we  got  the  news  Captain  Engle  with  the  Princeton  was  sent 
there  and  he  made  short  work  of  it.  He  drove  the  Mexicans 
out  of  the  brig  and  burned  her ;  not,  however,  before  they  had 
gotten  some  of  her  armament  and  stores  on  shore.  The  guns 
of  the  Truxtun  were  mounted  by  the  enemy  in  the  forts  built 
to  protect  Tuspan ;  but  we  recovered  them  eventually  as  I 
shall  mention. 

Early  in  the  winter  of  1847  the  Potomac  went  to  Pensacola 
again  for  provisions  and  water.  During  our  absence  from  the 
fleet  a  man  was  hanged  on  board  the  St.  Mary's  for  striking 
an  officer — he  stepped  from  his  gun  at  evening  quarters  and 
knocked  down  the  lieutenant  commanding  the  division.  He 
was  tried  by  a  court  martial  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged. 
The  commodore  thought  the  discipline  of  the  squadron  re 
quired  that  the  sentence  should  be  carried  into  effect,  and  he 
was  right.  When  this  man  was  hanged  at  the  yard-arm  of 
the  St.  Mary's  the  crews  of  all  the  other  vessels  were  mustered 
on  the  decks  of  their  respective  ships  to  witness  it.  He 
acknowledged  the  justness  of  his  sentence,  and  was,  at  his  own 
request,  attended  in  his  last  moments  by  the  very  lieutenant 
he  had  assaulted.  As  soon  as  we  got  back  from  Pensacola  in 
the  Potomac  we  took  up  the  blockade  of  Vera  Cruz  again  as 
usual. 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS  OF  VERA  CRUZ.          79 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  FORTIFICATIONS  OF  VERA  CRUZ— WHAT  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT  THOUGHT 
OF  THEM — CAMPAIGN  OF  GENERAL  TAYLOR — LOBOS  ISLAND — ARRIVAL 
AT  VERA  CRUZ  OF  GENERAL  SCOTT'S  ARMY — A  RECONNOISSANCE — LAND 
ING  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  GENERAL  SCOTT  AT  VERA  CRUZ,  MARCH  9TH, 
1847 — REMARKS  ON — INVESTMENT  OF  THE  CITY — SERVICES  OF  THE 
NAVY — OPENING  OF  THE  BOMBARDMENT — A  HEAVY  NORTHER — IN 
CIDENTS  CONNECTED  WITH — SAILORS  ON  SHORE — AFFAIR  AT  MEDELLIN. 

THE  city  of  Vera  Cruz  contained  at  this  time  probably 
ten  thousand  inhabitants.  Like  all  the  old  Spanish  towns  it 
is  a  walled  city,  and  defended  by  numerous  fortifications  to  re 
sist  an  attack  either  by  land  or  sea.  There  was  a  strong  fort 
on  the  northern  point  of  the  city,  and  another  on  the  southern 
point,  with  guns  principally  pointed  seaward,  and  a  number 
more  along  the  walls  for  the  land  defence.  About  half  a  mile 
off  the  city  lies  the  castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa,  a  well  con 
structed  fortification,  built  on  a  coral  island  of  soft  coral  stone. 
The  island  is  surrounded  by  reefs  on  the  north-eastern,  eastern 
and  southern  sides,  and  cannot  be  approached  nearer  than 
three-fourths  of  a  mile ;  but  on  the  face  next  the  city  vessels 
can  go  close  up  to  the  walls  of  the  castle.  The  castle  mounted 
it  was  said  about  one  hundred  guns  of  all  calibres.  There 
were  a  few  mortars  throwing  a  ten-inch  shell,  but  the  guns 
were,  I  think,  principally  18  pounders.  The  water  battery 
was  considered  very  powerful — between  it  and  the  citadel  or 
main  fort  was  a  wide  and  deep  moat  with  a  drawbridge.  If  the 
water  battery  was  carried  by  assault  the  citadel  commanded  it. 
This  is  in  accordance  with  my  recollection  of  the  castle  as  it 
looked  to  me  after  its  surrender.  The  castle  of  San  Juan  de 
Ulloa  wr,s  taken  by  a  French  squadron  under  Admiral  Baudin, 


80         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

on  the  27th  of  November,  1838,  after  a  bombardment  of  five 
hours. 

The  late  Admiral  Farragut  witnessed  it,  being  present  in 
command  of  the  sloop-of-war  Erie.  He  took  notes  of  all  that 
occurred,  and  visited  the  castle  a  few  minutes  after  its  surren 
der.  He  says  in  his  journal :  "  I  visited  the  castle  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  its  early  surrender,  and  a  single  glance  satisfied 
me  that  it  would  have  been  impracticable  for  the  Mexicans  to 
stand  to  their  guns.  The  very  material  which  formerly  in 
sured  their  safety  was  now  a  means  of  destruction,  for  the  castle 
is  built  of  a  sort  of  limestone  resembling  coral,  into  which  a 
solid  shot  will  penetrate  a  short  distance  and  remain  buried, 
having  little  or  no  effect ;  but  with  shell  it  was  another  matter, 
they  would  explode  and  rend  the  stone  in  immense  masses 
killing  and  wounding  the  men  at  the  guns,  in  many  instances 
shattering  the  walls  from  summit  to  foundation.  I  am  satisfied 
that  in  a  few  hours  more  it  would  have  been  a  mass  of  rubbish." 
"  The  Cavaliero  Alto  was  very  much  shattered,  and  a  few 
more  shells  would  have  reached  the  magazine.  The  guns 
were  rendered  useless,  with  scarce  an  exception,  by  the  destruc 
tion  of  the  carriages."  The  admiral  does  not  state  the  exact 
force  of  the  French ;  I  think  it  consisted  of  three  frigates,  some 
corvettes,  bomb  vessels  and  steamers ;  but  any  French  naval 
history  will  tell.  The  officers  of  our  squadron  were  very  de 
sirous  of  taking  the  castle  before  the  arrival  of  General  Scott's 
army,  and  some  presented  plans  for  doing  so.  The  commo 
dore  must  have  had  a  correct  plan  of  it,  and  he  must  also  have 
known  of  the  disposition  of  the  French  squadron  in  1838.  He, 
however,  thought  it  had  been  greatly  strengthened  since  that 
time,  but  subsequent  events  proved  this  untrue. 

Captain  John  Wilkinson  in  his  book,  "  Narrative  of  a  Block 
ade  Runner,"  speaking  of  Admiral  Farragut,  says  that  during 
the  Mexican  war :  "  he  [Farragut]  had  proposed  to  Commo 
dore  Perry,  then  commanding  the  gulf  squadron,  and  urged 
upon  him  the  enterprise  of  capturing  the  strong  fort  of  San 
Juan  de  Ulloa  at  Vera  Cruz  by  boarding."  The  gallant  cap- 


CAMPAIGN  OF  GENERAL  TA  YLOB.  81 

tain's  memory  does  not  serve  him  in  regard  to  this.  Farragut 
was  not  in  the  gulf  during  the  Mexican  war  until  after  the 
capture  of  the  castle  and  town  of  Vera  Cruz.  He  sailed  in  the 
Saratoga  from  Norfolk  in  February  for  Vera  Cruz,  and  he 
says  in  his  journal :  "  But  we  were  just  too  late ;  the  castle 
had  surrendered  to  our  forces  under  General  Scott  (March  26, 
1847),  and  the  flag  was  proudly  floating  over  its  walls."  But 
it  is  well  known  that  admiral,  then  commander,  Farragut  was 
of  the  opinion  that  the  castle  could  be  taken  by  the  force  under 
Commodore  Conner,  and  it  would  have  been  a  most  fortunate 
thing  for  the  navy  if  Farragut  and  not  Conner  had  been  in 
command  at  that  time.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  but 
that  we  should  have  had  it  some  months  before  we  did,  and 
the  city  of  Vera  Cruz  fell  with  San  Juan  de  Ulloa :  for  the 
latter  commanded  it. 

General  Taylor  occupied  Matamoras  May  18,  1846,  and  on 
the  24th  of  September  following  captured  Monterey  after  a 
desperate  fight  of  three  days.  He  then  advanced  in  the  di 
rection  of  Saltillo.  It  was  now  decided  by  the  authorities  in 
Washington  to  abandon  the  advance  on  the  city  of  Mexico  by 
that  line,  but  to  capture  Vera  Cruz,  make  it  the  base  of 
operations,  and  march  on  the  capital  via  Jalapa  and  Pu- 
ebla.  The  plan  of  this  campaign  was  intrusted  to  General 
Winfield  Scott,  and  all  the  regulars  were  taken  from  General 
Taylor  save  several  batteries  of  light  artillery  and  a  squadron 
of  dragoons.  This  caused  much  criticism  and  excited  much 
feeling  among  General  Taylor's  friends;  but  the  volunteers  left 
with  him  had  been  drilled  and  disciplined  by  General  Wool 
and  gave  a  good  account  of  themselves  at  the  battle  of  Buena 
Vista— fought  February  22,  1847.  There  General  Taylor 
with  5000  men  successfully  resisted  all  the  attempts  of  General 
Santa  Anna  with  his  army  of  20,000  men  to  force  his  position, 
and  the  latter  ingloriously  retreated.  This  was  the  last  battle 
fought  by  General  Taylor's  army.  The  transports  containing 
the  troops  of  General  Scott's  army  were  assembled  at  Lobos 

island,  150  miles  north  of  Vera  Cruz.    Several  of  the  vessels  of 

4* 


82        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

the  squadron  were  ordered  there,  and  the  senior  captain  took 
charge  of  affairs  afloat.  On  the  24th  of  February,  1847, 
General  Scott  issued  his  final  orders  to  his  fleet  at  Lobos 
island,  and  we  in  the  squadron  now  commenced  to  keep  a 
bright  lookout  for  the  transports.  About  the  end  of  the  month 
the  Potomac  was  lying  under  Green  island  in  a  moderate 
"  norther,"  when  shortly  after  noon  the  man  at  the  mast-head 
reported  a  sail  to  the  northward,  and  soon  after  we  saw  the 
long-expected  fleet  coming  down  before  the  wind.  What 
number  of  vessels  were  there  I  do  not  know,  but  there  were 
more  than  we  could  count — the  little  brig  Porpoise,  under  her 
very  efficient  commander,  Lieutenant  William  E.  Hunt,  gal 
lantly  led  the  way.  The  first  thing  that  excited  our  astonish 
ment  was  the  great  amount  of  sail  carried  by  the  transports, 
and  the  next  the  skilful  manner  in  which  their  captains 
threaded  their  way  between  the  reefs !  But  as  one  of  them 
remarked  to  me  afterwards,  "  any  one  could  see  the  channel  in 
a  gale  of  wind ;  "  meaning  that  the  breakers  on  the  reefs  would 
show  the  deep  water. 

No  words  can  express  our  excitement  as  ship  after  ship, 
crowded  with  enthusiastic  soldiers,  successively  came  in ;  some 
anchoring  near  us,  and  others  continuing  on  for  the  anchorage 
at  Anton  Lizardo.  We  had  been  so  long  on  board  our  ships, 
and  for  some  months  so  inactive,  that  \ve  were  longing  for 
something  to  do.  I  cannot  answer  for  others,  but  the  scene  of 
that  day — and  I  recollect  it  was  Sunday — is  so  vivid,  and  the 
events  so  firmly  fixed  in  my  memory,  that  I  can  almost  see  the 
ship  Diadem  as  she  grazed  our  spanker-boom  in  her  desire 
to  pass  near  enough  to  speak  us,  and  I  can  to  this  day 
whistle  the  "  waltz  "  played  by  an  infantry  band  on  board  a 
transport  anchored  near  us  that  night,  though  I  have  never 
heard  it  since.  It  was  indeed  "  a  sight  to  dream  of  and  not  to 
tell."  That  night  I  went  in  charge  of  a  boat  to  convey  our 
marine  officer,  Lieutenant  Garland,  to  the  transport  contain 
ing  the  Fourth  U.  S.  Infantry,  which  regiment  was  commanded 
by  his  uncle,  Lieut.  Colonel  Garland,  and  I  shall  never  forget 


SCOTT'S  ARMY  ARRIVE  A  T  VERA  CRUZ.          83 

my  welcome  when  it  was  known  that  I  was  a  brother  of  the 
Parker  who  had  died  while  belonging  to  the  regiment  in  1842. 
Many  of  the  officers  of  this  regiment  were  afterward  killed — 
among  them  the  gallant  and  genial  Major  Graham. 

After  the  landing  at  Vera  Cruz  I  passed  many  hours  at 
their  encampment  near  the  beach  and  I  remember  meeting  a 
Lieutenant  Grant — the  present  General  Grant — both  there 
and  on  board  the  Potomac;  though  I  suppose  he  has  long 
since  forgotten  all  about  it. 

A  few  days  after  General  Scott's  arrival,  Commodore  Con 
ner  took  him  with  a  large  number  of  the  principal  officers  to 
make  a  reconnoissance  of  the  fortifications  of  Vera  Cruz,  and 
to  select  a  place  for  the  disembarkation  of  the  troops.  The 
reconnoissance  was  made  in  a  small  steamer,  and  a  bold  one  it 
was — the  steamer  went  so  close  to  the  Castle  and  the  northern 
land  batteries  that  we  expected  to  see  her  blown  out  of  water. 
Why  the  Mexicans  did  not  open  fire  was  inexplicable  to  us ; 
but  I  suppose  it  may  have  been  their  siesta  time. 

General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  then  Captain  Johnston  of  the 
Topographical  Engineers,  was  on  board  at  the  time  and  he 
has  told  me  since  how  very  rash  he  thought  Commodore  Con 
ner  on  this  occasion. 

The  reconnoissance1  decided  General  Scott  to  land  the  army 
on  the  main  land  abreast  of  Sacrificios  Island.  I  do  not  see 
myself  how  there  could  have  been  two  opinions  as  to  its  being 
the  proper  place ;  but  perhaps  the  visit  to  the  north  side  of 
the  city  was  a  blind.  At  all  events  all  the  transports  were 
now  assembled  at  Anton  Lizardo  and  the  final  preparations 
made  for  landing  the  troops.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the 
9th  of  March,  1847,  the  frigates  and  sloops  of  the  fleet  having 
taken  on  board  as  many  troops  as  they  could  carry,  and  the 
steamers  towing  the  transports  with  the  others,  we  all  got 
underweight  for  Sacrificios  Island,  nine  miles  distant.  It  was 
a  beautiful  day  and  we  had  a  fair  wind,  with  a  smooth  sea. 
On  board  the  Potomac  we  had  two  Pennsylvania  regiments, 
under  General  Pillow,  and  among  the  privates  I  recognized  to 


84         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

my  great  astonishment,  a  Mr.  McDougall,  who  had  been  a 
midshipman  with  me  in  the  Columbus.  He  had  failed  to  pass 
his  examination  and  had  enlisted.  Poor  Mac,  I  never  heard 
of  him  after  this.  The  vessels  anchored  under  Sacrificios  Is 
land  about  one  o'clock,  and  we  prepared  to  disembark  the 
army,  which  consisted  of  about  twelve  thousand  men,  in  three 
divisions,  commanded  by  Generals  Worth,  Patterson  and 
Twiggs  respectively. 

The  Government  had  previously  sent  out  a  large  number  of 
surf-boats  for  this  service — these  boats  were  built  at  or  near 
Philadelphia,  and  were  admirably  adapted  to  the  purpose. 
They  were  sharp  at  both  ends,  wTith  flat  floors  and  drew  very 
little  water.  They  carried  one  hundred  soldiers  with  their 
arms  and  accoutrements,  and  were  manned  by  one  naval  officer 
and  eight  or  ten  sailors.  In  landing  in  the  surf  our  practice 
was  to  let  go  a  kedge  which  wre  carried  at  the  stern  just  before 
entering  the  breakers.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  Commodore 
Conner's  management  of  affairs  up  to  this  time  the  arrange 
ments  for  this  service  were  simply  perfect.  The  division  of  Gen 
eral  Worth  formed  the  advance  and  was  the  first  landed.  The 
men  were  put  in  the  boats  and  the  boats  were  then  towed  astern 
of  the  several  men-of-war  at  anchor.  The  mosquito  fleet  under 
Captain  Tattnall  ran  close  in  to  the  beach  and  kept  up  a  con 
stant  shelling ;  but  not  a  Mexican  was  to  be  seen.  I  had  in 
my  boat  a  company  of  artillery  commanded  by  Captain  and 
Brevet  Major  Gardner  and  Lieutenant  McCowan.  Everything 
being  in  readiness  a  signal  gun  was  fired  from  the  flag  ship, 
and  we  all  cast  off  and  pulled  in  line  for  the  shore ;  the  first 
boat  to  touch  the  beach  was  one  containing  a  company  of  the 
Sixth  Infantry,  and  Lieutenant  Edward  Fitzgerald  sprang  out 
and  planted  the  regimental  colors  on  the  shores  of  Mexico. 
%In  less  than  two  minutes  after  four  thousand  American  soldiers 
were  on  the  beach,  and  the  landing  was  a  fact  accomplished. 
The  boats  returned  to  the  ships  and  took  on  board  and  landed 
the  division  of  volunteers  under  General  Patterson  ;  and  finally 
the  division  of  General  Twiggs.  By  midnight  General  Scott 


SCOTT S  TROOPS  LAND  AT  VERA   CRUZ.         85 

and  his  entire  army  were  in  a  position  to  commence  the  in 
vestment  and  siege  of  Vera  Cruz. 

Here  I  must  pause  awhile  to  say  something  in  reference  to 
the  landing  of  troops  upon  a  hostile  shore.  If  the  enemy  will 
dispute  the  landing  boldly  it  cannot  be  successfully  accom 
plished.  In  the  landing  at  Vera  Cruz  if  the  Mexicans  had 
concealed  themselves  behind  the  sand  hills  until  our  boats 
were  nearly  in  the  surf,  and  had  then  come  down  and  opened 
fire,  it  is  my  belief  that  half  of  the  men  would  have  been  killed 
or  wounded  before  reaching  the  beach.  The  gunboats  could 
not  have  fired  without  endangering  their  friends,  and  the  men 
in  the  boats  crowded  as  they  were  would  have  been  helpless. 
If  there  are  no  hills  a  moderately  deep  trench  is  all  that  is 
necessary  for  the  shore  party  to  shelter  itself  from  the  fire  of 
gunboats.  The  idea  is  to  keep  under  cover  until  the  landing 
force  gets  about  fifty  yards  from  the  shore  and  then  let  them 
have  it  with  small  arms  and  light  artillery.  Those  of  us  who 
served  on  the  James  river  in  the  civil  war  know  how  very  few 
lives  were  lost  by  the  shelling  of  gunboats.  If  the  Russians 
had  followed  these  tactics  the  allies  would  not  have  made  good 
their  landing  in  the  Crimea,  nor  would  the  Federal  troops 
have  done  so  at  Roanoke  island  had  the  Confederates  adopted 
this  plan. 

Having  landed  the  troops  the  work  of  landing  material 
was  now  commenced.  We  who  were  engaged  in  it  were 
called  daily  at  4  in  the  morning,  and  we  worked  until  9 
or  10  at  night.  Each  midshipman  had  charge  of  four  surf 
boats,  and  we  got  our  meals  when  and  how  we  could.  One  of 
the  officers  of  the  flag  ship  had  the  general  supervision  of  this 
work,  and  we  went  to  the  different  transports  as  he  directed. 
The  officers  and  men  worked  very  zealously  in  this  business, 
and  at  the  end  of  a  week  it  was  marvelous  to  see  the  amount 
of  material  put  on  the  beach :  guns,  ammunition,  tents, 
lumber,  provisions,  clothing,  horses,  mules,  sutlers'  stores, 
&c.,  &c.  The  landing  place  commenced  to  assume  the  ap 
pearance  of  a  small  town,  and  still  the  work  went  on.  Trans 
ports  sailed  as  soon  as  discharged  and  others  were  constantly 


86         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

arriving.  The  weather  fortunately  was  good  and  the  sea 
smooth. 

The  quartermaster  of  the  Army  and  the  other  heads  of  de 
partments  seemed  to  have  everything  well  arranged  beforehand, 
and  were  always  able  to  tell  us  which  of  the  vessels  they  wished 
next  to  be  discharged.  There  were  no  mishaps,  no  accidents, 
no  men  drowned ;  but  everything  went  on  with  the  utmost  regu 
larity  and  good  order.  It  was  a  most  creditable  performance 
in  every  way,  and  the  Navy  had  every  reason  to  be  proud  of 
it.  Without  our  assistance  General  Scott  would  never  have 
advanced  from  Vera  Cruz. 

The  Army  after  landing  on  the  9th  quickly  surrounded  the 
city,  and  it  was  besieged  in  due  form.  General  Scott  gave 
the  authorities  a  chance  to  send  the  women  and  children  out 
before  opening  his  fire,  but  his  offer  was  declined ;  later  in  the 
siege  they  wanted  to  do  so,  but  the  general  would  not  then 
consent ;  so  they  remained  in  the  city  during  the  whole  of  the 
bombardment.  The  castle  of  San  Juan  and  the  other  forts 
kept  up  a  constant  fire  upon  the  besiegers  from  this  time  till 
the  close  of  the  siege.  Some  mortars  were  mounted  by  our 
army,  and  I  think  they  commenced  firing  about  the  20th. 
The  army  siege  train  was  for  some  reason  late  in  arriving. 

We  heard  of  General  Taylor's  success  at  Buena  Vista  a  few 
days  after  landing,  and  General  Scott  issued  the  news  in  a 
general  order.  Salutes  were  fired  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Before  the  regular  bombardment  of  the  city  commenced 
the  Army  had  two  officers  killed,  Captain  Vinton  of  the  Ar 
tillery  and  Captain  Albertis  of  the  Infantry.  Both  were 
highly  esteemed  by  their  comrades. 

We  had  at  this  time  the  heaviest  "  norther  "  I  ever  experi 
enced.  A  large  number  of  merchant  ships  dragged  ashore  in 
consequence  of  their  being  so  badly  provided  with  ground 
tackle  ;  and  the  number  of  surf  boats  that  broke  adrift  and 
went  sailing  down  the  coast  was  simply  enormous.  During  the 
height  of  the  gale  a  ship  called  the  Diadem  broke  from  her 
anchors  and  drifted  across  our  hawse  and  it  looked  as  if  she 


A  HEAVY  "NORTHER."  87 

would  carry  us  on  shore  with  her ;  but  our  captain  promptly 
scut  his  men  on  board  and  cut  away  her  masts.  We  then 
gave  her  the  end  of  our  stream  cable  which  we  secured  to  our 
mainmast,  and  veering  her  astern  we  held  her  safely  through 
the  remainder  of  the  gale.  The  captain  of  the  transport  had 
the  "  cheek "  to  claim  damages  for  the  loss  of  his  masts,  but 
Captain  Aulick  did  not  admit  the  claim.  Our  men,  however, 
rigged  her  up  with  jury  masts  afterwards  and  she  went  to  sea. 

No  communication  could  be  held  with  the  shore  while  this 
gale  lasted,  but  as  soon  as  it  subsided  the  Navy  got  most  of 
the  grounded  vessels  afloat,  and  one  of  the  small  steamers  went 
down  the  coast  and  picked  up  many  of  the  surf  boats. 

Happening  to  be  on  shore  when  this  gale  sprung  up  I  was 
unable  to  get  off  to  the  ship,  and  many  others  were  in  the 
same  category:  among  them  my  messmates,  Midshipmen 
McLane  and  Jones.  I  suppose  there  were  two  or  three  hundred 
officers  and  sailors  ashore.  We  of  the  Potomac  hauled  our 
boats  up  on  the  beach,  and  told  the  crews  they  must  "  shift  for 
themselves,"  which  they  said  very  confidently  they  could  do, 
and  we  then  held  a  council  as  to  what  we  should  do  for  some 
thing  to  eat  and  a  place  to  sleep.  We  knew  nothing  about 
sutlers'  stores,  and  if  we  had  were  not  provided  with  money. 
About  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  as  we  were  disconsolately  walk 
ing  the  beach  we  were  accosted  by  a  Lieutenant  Ward  of  the 
Third  Infantry,  who  said  he  had  just  heard  that  some  naval 
officers  were  on  shore  unprovided  with  quarters,  and  he  had 
come  to  look  for  them.  So  we  went  with  him  to  his  tent 
where  we  found  Captain  Dawson  of  the  artillery.  They  had 
charge  of  some  recruits  and  were  messing  together  temporarily. 
Dawson  received  us  very  hospitably,  and  we  had  some  beef 
steak  for  supper  which  we  were  glad  to  get ;  though  in  con 
sequence  of  the  "  norther"  blowing  it  had  more  sand  in  it  than 
was  agreeable.  After  supper  a  field  bed  was  made  in  the  tent, 
and  we  all  sat  or  lay  about  very  comfortably  and  sociably. 
We  were  treated  to  a  small  allowance  of  pelos  cocJws — two 
Greek  words  signifying  neck  oil — the  midshipmen  of  my  time 


88         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

said — and  about  11  o'clock  Ward  informed  us  that  he  knew 
where  some  hand  grenades  could  be  gotten,  and  he  proposed 
that  wye  should  creep  up  under  the  walls  of  Vera  Cruz  and  throw 
them  over  into  the  city ;  he  said  it  would  cause  a  stampede,  as 
I  have  no  doubt  it  would.  My  messmates  gladly  caught  at 
the  idea ;  it  seemed  that  a  march  of  three  miles  to  reach  the 
city,  with  a  strong  probability  of  being  captured  by  the  enemy, 
if  we  were  not  previously  shot  by  our  own  sentinels,  struck 
them  as  "just  the  thing."  Captain  Dawson,  after  attempting  to 
dissuade  us  from  the  attempt,  positively  refused  to  accompany 
us  and  I  must  confess  I  had  "  my  doubts."  However  I  could 
never  let  my  messmates  go  without  me ;  so  we  buckled  on  our 
swords,  and  after  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  get  through 
the  tent  door  which  was  tied,  and  our  swords  would  act  as 
"  toggles,"  we  emerged  upon  the  plain.  I  can  see  Captain 
Dawson  now  rolling  on  the  tent  floor  with  uncontrollable 
laughter.  To  obtain  the  hand  grenades  we  had  fortunately  to 
cross  the  encampment  of  the  Fourth  Infantry  ;  I  say  fortunately, 
for  the  night  being  very  dark  we  kept  stumbling  over  the  con 
founded  tent  pegs,  and  not  being  very  steady  on  our  feet  (pro 
bably  in  consequence  of  the  furious  "norther"  blowing)  we 
could  not  hold  a  straight  course ;  so  that  Ward,  after  each  of 
us  had  fallen  down  about  twenty  times,  proposed  that  we  should 
give  it  up  for  that  night  and  return  to  the  tent.  He  said  that 
perhaps  the  next  night  would  be  better  as  we  could  make  an 
earlier  start !  To  this  we  gladly  acceded,  and  upon  getting 
back  Jones  insisted  that  we  should  take  off  our  shoes  before 
creeping  into  the  tent.  This  we  did,  and  the  next  morning 
they  were  gone,  of  course.  Dawson  said  he  had  never  heard 
before  of  putting  shoes  out  to  be  blacked  in  an  encampment. 
We  were  much  disgusted,  but  our  men  loaned  us  theirs  to  wear 
until  we  returned  to  the  ship.  We  left  our  kind  friends  in 
the  morning  and  wandered  about  all  day ;  but  when  night 
came  (although  we  declared  that  three  were  too  great  a  tax 
on  a  mess  of  two)  yet  we  had  to  go  back  as  we  knew  of  no 
other  place  to  sleep,  and  we  did  this  for  three  nights  in  succes- 


SAILORS  ON  SHORE.  89 

sion  and  always  received  the  same  hearty  welcome.  We  made* 
no  more  attacks  on  Vera  Cruz,  however.  Poor  Ward  was 
killed  in  the  valley  of  Mexico,  but  Dawson  still  lives,  a  general 
on  the  retired  list.  Our  men  somehow  managed  to  take  good 
care  of  themselves — we  used  to  go  sometimes  to  their  mess  and 
get  our  dinners ;  they  seemed  all  to  be  provided  with  muskets, 
though  they  brought  none  on  shore  with  them,  and  they  always 
had  fresh  beef  for  dinner.  We  thought  it  best  to  ask  no  ques 
tions.  In  the  midst  of  this  gale  a  report  came  that  a  vessel 
with  a  company  of  dragoons  under  Captain  Thornton  had 
dragged  ashore  at  Anton  Lizardo,  and  it  was  proposed  to  send 
all  the  sailors  down  there  to  assist  in  getting  the  horses  on 
shore.  The  Fourth  Infantry  was  to  march  on  our  flank  to 
protect  us  against  an  attack,  as  the  sailors  were  supposed  to  be 
unarmed.  We  assembled  on  the  beach  about  10  o'clock  at 
night,  and  I  found,  to  my  surprise,  that  most  of  my  men  were 
mounted,  either  on  horses  or  donkeys.  Finding  that  I  intended 
making  the  march  on  foot  my  coxswain  said  that  would  never 
do,  and  going  back  from  the  beach  towards  the  general 
encampment  he  soon  returned  with  a  horse.  I  mounted  and 
said  nothing.  We  did  not  go  down,  however,  after  all  our 
preparations ;  though  I  have  forgotten  why  we  gave  the  ex 
pedition  up.  I  saw  Captain  Thornton  the  next  day  on  his 
way  to  report  at  headquarters — my  beau  ideal  of  a  dragoon. 
He  was  captured  by  the  Mexicans  while  on  a  scout  before  the 
battle  of  Palo  Alto  with  his  entire  command,  and  had  not  long 
been  exchanged  when  he  joined  General  Scot4:.  He  was  killed 
by  the  first  gun  fired  by  the  enemy  in  the  valley  of  Mexico. 

The  sailors  having  nothing  to  do  wandered  about,  and  a 
band  of  them  went  to  Medellin  (a  small  village  some  ten  miles 
down  the  coast,  and  named  for  Cortez'  birth  place)  and  com 
mitted  some  outrages.  General  Scott  was  justly  indignant  and 
the  offenders  would  have  been  severely  dealt  with  if  they  had- 
been  caught.  These  stragglers  met  their  punishment  in  some 
instances — every  now  and  then  we  would  find  the  dead  body 
of  a  sailor  terribly  mutilated  by  the  enemy.  Most  of  the 


90          RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

sailors  though  contented  themselves  with  quietly  getting  drunk 
and  riding  about  the  camp.  The  army  officers,  as  I  have  said 
before,  took  no  notice  of  their  pranks.  One  day  an  old  "  salt" 
rode  by  General  Scott's  quarters  on  a  donkey,  and  some  officers 
standing  by  observing  that  he  was,  as  they  thought,  seated  too 
far  back,  called  out  to  him  to  shift  his  seat  more  amidships. 
"  Gentlemen,"  said  Jack,  drawing  rein :  "  This  is  the  first  craft 
I  ever  commanded,  and  it's  d — d  hard  if  I  cannot  ride  on  the 
quarter  deck." 

The  second  dragoons  were  sent  down  to  Medellin  about  this 
time  and  had  a  fight  with  the  Mexicans.  One  of  the  midship 
men  of  the  squadron,  Thomas  Young  by  name,  was  sent  with  a 
dispatch  to  the  commanding  officer  just  before  the  battle.  He 
was  mounted  on  an  old  cavalry  charger,  and  not  being  a  very 
good  horseman  was  unable  to  manage  him.  When  the  charge 
was  sounded  the  horse  started  off,  and  Midshipman  Young  had 
the  honor  of  leading  the  way  across  the  bridge  just  below  Me 
dellin.  He  was  highly  complimented  by  the  colonel  of  the 
regiment  for  his  gallantry,  and  still  lives  to  congratulate  him 
self  upon  his  narrow  escape. 


BOMBARDMENT  OF  VERA  CRUZ.  91 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OPENING  OF  THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VERA  CRUZ  — CAPTAIN  TATNALL  AND 
THE  SPITFIRE — COMMODORE  M.  C.  PERRY  ASSUMES  COMMAND  OF  THE 
SQUADRON — COMMODORE  CONNER'S  MISTAKE — THE  NAVY  LANDS  SIX 
HEAVY  GUNS — THE  MOSQUITO  FLEET— THE  NAVY  BATTERY — IT  OPENS 
FIRE  ON  VERA  CRUZ — INCIDENTS — PASSED  MIDSHIPMAN  FAUNTLEROY — 
SURRENDER  OF  VERA  CRUZ  AND  THE  CASTLE  OF  SAN  JUAN  DE  ULLOA 
— OUR  ARMY  TAKES  POSSESSION — BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO — A  VISIT  TO 
THE  CASTLE  AND  CITY — OUR  MARINES. 

As  well  as  I  recollect  the  regular  bombardment  of  Vera 
Cruz  by  the  Army  commenced  March  22d,  1847.  On  that 
day  General  Scott  formally  summoned  the  town,  and  notified 
the  authorities  of  the  consequences  of  a  non-surrender. 

I  have  omitted  to  say  that  the  day  after  the  landing,  March 
10th,  we  were  awakened  by  the  sound  of  heavy  firing,  and 
going  on  deck  found  that  it  was  caused  by  Captain  Tatnall  in 
the  Spitfire.  He  had  gone  in  under  Point  Hornos  and  opened 
a  fire  upon  the  town  and  castle,  without  orders.  He  was 
quickly  recalled  by  the  commodore,  and  as  he  left  his  ex 
posed  position  was  loudly  cheered  by  the  Army.  He  lost  no 
men  by  this  affair,  which  was  much  regretted  by  the  gallant 
captain — he  could  not  rid  himself  of  the  old  English  idea  that 
there  must  be  a  large  list  of  killed  and  wounded  to  certify  to 
a  brave  action.  The  "butcher's  bill"  at  Algiers  in  1816,  in 
Lord  Exmouth's  squadron,  must  have  satisfied  the  English 
nation  in  this  particular. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  shortly  after  the  hoisting  of  the 
colors  we  were  electrified  by  the  signal  from  the  flagship: 
"  Commodore  Perry  commands  the  squadron."  I  think  Com 
modore  Perry  had  gone  north  after  the  Tobasco  affair,  and 
had  but  lately  returned  in  the  Mississippi.  Commodore  Con- 


92         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

ner  had  been  in  bad  health  for  some  time,  and  willingly 
turned  over  the  squadron  to  Commodore  Perry ;  but  the 
youngest  reefer  in  the  squadron  felt  that  he  had  made  a 
mistake  in  yielding  the  command  when  he  did.  He  should 
have  waited  until  Vera  Cruz  fell,  at  least. 

The  effect  of  this  change  was  soon  seen,  and  Commodore 
Perry's  first  order  was  to  land  six  heavy  guns  (three  64- 
pounder  shell  guns  and  three  long  32-pounders),  and  place 
them  in  battery  to  assist  General  Scott's  siege  guns.  This  was 
the  most  efficient  co-operation  we  could  give  the  army. 

It  is  generally  thought  that  Vera  Cruz  and  the  castle  of 
San  Juan  wrere  bombarded  by  the  fleet.  I  have  seen  this 
stated  in  more  than  one  "  history,"  and  recollect  going  to  see 
a  panorama  in  Boston  shortly  after  the  war  which  represented 
the  fleet  bombarding  the  castle  while  the  troops  were  being 
landed  on  the  north  side  of  Vera  Cruz. 

The  castle  was  thought  to  be  too  strong  to  risk  the  vessels 
of  the  fleet  against  it — there  were  no  iron-clads  then — but  I 
believe  that  if  it  had  not  surrendered  when  it  did,  we  were  to 
have  tried  the  effect  of  an  escalade. 

On  the  22d  of  March  the  Mosquito  fleet  consisting  of  the 
steamers  Spitfire  and  Vixen,  and  gunboats  Reefer,  Bonita, 
Petrel  and  two  others,  under  Captain  Tatnall,  took  up  a  position 
under  Point  Hornos,  and  opened  on  the  town ;  and  the  next 
morning  the  Spitfire  and  Vixen  each  having  two  gunboats  in 
tow  stood  closer  in  and  opened  on  the  town  and  castle  both, 
and  received  their  fire  in  return.  The  vessels  received  no/ 
damage  and  there  were  no  men  killed.  This  diversion  was 
ordered  by  Commodore  Perry,  and  was  the  only  bombardment 
of  the  castle  by  our  vessels. 

The  Spitfire  went  the  next  day  to  the  northward  of  the  city 
to  open  communication  with  the  left  wing  of  the  besieging 
army,  which  rested  on  the  beach  there. 

Of  the  six  guns  landed  from  the  vessels  two  were  taken  from 
the  Potomac  with  their  crews.  Lieutenant  A.  S.  Baldwin  and 
three  midshipmen  went  in  command  of  them.  Captain  Aulick 


THE  NA  VY  LANDS  SIX  HE  A  VY  G  UNS.  93 

who  was  appointed  to  command  the  naval  battery  on  the  first 
day  of  its  firing,  ordered  that  all  the  passed  midshipmen  and 
midshipmen  should  draw  lots  to  determine  who  should  go  with 
the  guns,  and  it  fell  to  McLane,  Jones  and  myself.  The  lieu 
tenants  also  drew  lots  for  the  service ;  of  course  every  one 
wanted  to  go.  The  guns  were  landed  on  the  22d,  and  the  one 
I  was  assigned  to  was  placed  in  the  bottom  of  a  surf-boat  in 
stead  of  being  put  on  skids  across  the  gunwale,  so  when  we  got 
ashore  we  found  great  difficulty  in  getting  it  out ;  we  finally 
accomplished  it  through  the  bottom  of  the  boat !  It  was  then 
hauled  up  on  the  beach  by  hundreds  of  soldiers  and  we  waited 
for  the  "  trucks,"  of  which  there  were  but  two,  to  take  it  to  the 
naval  battery  some  three  miles  distant,  and  to  reach  which  we 
had  to  plough  through  sand  knee-deep,  and  cross  many  hills. 
There  was  no  particular  road.  Four  of  the  guns  were  sent  off 
the  first  day  and  night,  but  we  remained  on  the  beach  with 
ours.  The  next  day,  23d,  Midshipman  Jones  was  sent  with  the 
gun-carriages,  ammunition  and  implements,  and  towards  sun 
set  one  "  truck"  came  back  and  Lieutenant  Baldwin  and  Mid 
shipman  McLane  started  with  one  gun,  leaving  me  to  take  up 
the  other  and  last.  I  tried  to  keep  my  men  together,  but  had 
much  trouble  with  them ;  missing  some  of  them  I  went  to  a 
sutler's  store  near  by  and  found  them  round  a  cask  of  ale  which 
they  had  tapped.  I  capsized  the  barrel  as  the  best  way  to 
solve  the  difficulty.  Towards  midnight  another  "  truck" 
arrived  with  two  or  three  hundred  "  regulars"  and  their  cfficers, 
and  a  number  of  mules.  The  sailors  slung  the  gun,  the  mules 
were  hitched,  the  soldiers  manned  the  drag-ropes  and  off  we 
went.  I  walked  with  the  officers  in  advance.  The  batteries 
kept  up  a  constant  fire  upon  our  lines  and  the  bombs  occa 
sionally  went  over  our  heads,  or  burst  near  us.  No  one  was 
hurt,  however,  and  we  kept  steadily  on.  The  bombs  could  be 
followed  with  the  eye  by  the  burning  fuse  and  presented  a 
grand  sight. 

The  "  truck"  we  were  using  was  nearly  worn  out,  and  we 
broke  down  several  times;  but  we  managed  to  patch  it  up 


94         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

until  we  got  very  near  General  Patterson's  headquarters,  where 
the  "  regulars"  were  to  be  relieved  by  a  detachment  of  volun 
teers,  and  here  the  "  truck"  broke  down  entirely.  We  found, 
after  many  attempts  to  sling  the  gun  for  one  more  effort,  that 
we  must  make  up  our  minds  to  wait  for  the  other  "  truck," 
which  had  taken  up  Baldwin's  gun,  and  must  be  on  its  return. 
One  of  my  best  men  was  a  negro :  a  tall,  powerful  fellow  who 
performed  wonders  in  getting  the  gun  slung,  and  helping  along 
generally  ;  he  was  the  life  of  the  party  until  we  got  to  the  bat 
tery  ;  but  he  succumbed  at  the  first  gun  from  the  enemy  and 
was  of  no  further  use.  After  breaking  down  the  last  time  the 
senior  army  officer  said  to  me  that  if  I  made  no  objection  he 
would  take  his  men  back  to  their  camp  as  they  had  had  much 
hard  work,  and  could  do  nothing  by  remaining.  Of  course  I 
made  no  objection,  so  I  was  left  with  about  twenty  half  drunken 
sailors  who  threw  themselves  on  the  ground  and  were  soon 
asleep.  I  took  a  seat  upon  the  gun,  and  confess  to  feeling 
lonesome,  and  to  make  matters  worse  a  snake  ran  over  my 
legs,  and  that  was  more  than  I  could  stand — bomb  shells  were 
nothing  to  it.  I  knew  General  Patterson  had  been  informed 
of  my  condition,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  that  if  the  other 
"truck"  did  not  come,  or  if  it  broke  down,  I  would  make  my 
way  to  the  battery  with  my  men.  However,  towards  daybreak 
I  heard  the  welcome  creaking  of  wheels,  and  soon  after  the 
"  truck"  appeared  with  a  large  detachment  of  soldiers— my 
men  sprung  up  refreshed  and  ready  for  anything ;  we  slung 
the  gun  and  were  soon  underweigh.  We  forded  a  small  stream 
near  General  Patterson's  quarters,  and  here  Captain  Aulick 
came  out  and  directed  me  to  come  back  from  the  battery  as 
soon  as  I  had  gotten  my  gun  mounted,  and  let  him  know 
"  how  affairs  were  going  on."  As  I  had  been  up  for  two 
nights  I  was  not  in  the  best  of  humors — indeed,  for  the  first 
time  in  my  midshipman's  career  I  was  insubordinate :  so  I 
told  the  captain  that  as  soon  as  my  gun  was  mounted  we  would 
open  fire,  and  that  I  would  not  leave  the  battery  after  that ! 
He  eyed  me  keenly  for  a  moment,  and  a  pretty  picture  I  must 


THE  NA  VY  BA  TTER  Y.  95 

have  presented  after  my  two  days  experience  in  the  sand  and 
dirt,  and  then  told  me  to  take  his  clerk  up  with  me  and  send 
the  message  back  by  him,  and  this  I  did. 

Now  the  naval  battery  (as  it  came  to  be  called)  was  placed 
by  the  engineer  officers  only  about  seven  hundred  yards  from 
the  walls  of  Vera  Cruz.  It  was  carefully  masked  and  all 
the  guns  had  been  taken  to  it  by  night ;  so  the  Mexicans  up 
to  this  time  had  no  suspicion  of  its  existence  ;  but  my  gun 
being  delayed,  as  I  have  said,  it  was  broad  daylight  when  we 
crossed  a  railroad  which  ran  a  short  distance  from  the  princi 
pal  gate.  I  believe  there  were  never  any  cars  on  it.  We 
rushed  the  gun  across  the  track  as  rapidly  as  possible,  but  the 
Mexicans,  if  they  did  not  make  out  the  gun,  saw  enough  to 
excite  their  suspicion  ;  and  probably  sent  their  engineer  offi 
cers  out  to  make  a  more  careful  examination  of  the  surround 
ing  hills.  At  all  events  we  got  safely  to  the  battery,  mounted 
the  gun,  and  that  completed  the  number.  I  went  to  the  brow 
of  the  hill  and  looking  through  the  brushwood  which  served 
to  mask  the  battery  saw  the  city  of  Vera  Cruz  stretched  at  our 
feet;  and  just  over  the  city  and  within  easy  range  the  Castle 
of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa  with  its  hundred  guns.  It  was  a  beau 
tiful  scene,  and  in  the  early  tropical  morning  everything  looked 
so  tranquil  and  sleepy  that  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  in  a  few 
minutes  the  silence  would  be  broken  by  what  Napoleon  III. 
called  a  "  fire  of  hell ;"  or  what  our  volunteers  more  forcibly 
called  a  "  hell  of  a  fire !" 

Some  distance  in  the  rear  of  the  battery,  lying  in  trenches, 
was  a  brigade  of  volunteers  ready  to  support  us  in  case  the 
enemy  attempted  to  storm  our  position.  The  first  gun  on  the 
right  of  the  battery  was  the  Raritan's  32  pounder,  Lieutenant 
Harry  Ingersoll ;  the  next  the  Potomac's  32  pounder,  Lieuten 
ant  A.  S.  Baldwin ;  then  there  was  a  heavy  "  traverse,"  built 
of  sand  bags  of  six  or  more  feet  in  thickness  to  prevent  a  rak 
ing  fire ;  then  came  the  Mississippi's  64  pounder  shell  gun, 
Lieutenant  Sidney  Smith  Lee  ;  next  the  St.  Mary's  64  pounder 
shell  gun,  Lieutenant  C.  H.  Kennedy ;  then  another  "  trav- 


96         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

erse,"  and  finally  the  Albany's  G4  pounder  shell  gun,  Lieuten 
ant  Oliver  H.  Perry ;  and  next  on  the  extreme  left,  the  Poto 
mac's  32  pounder,  Commander  Alexander  Slidell  Mackenzie. 

Captain  Mackenzie  was  Commodore  Perry's  fleet  captain, 
and  we  did  not  know  that  he  was  in  the  battery.  Midshipman 
Jones  and  I  were  of  the  same  date  and  we  had  some  conver 
sation  as  to  which  of  us  would  command  the  Potomac's  second 
gun ;  so  when  we  saw  Captain  Mackenzie  take  charge  of  it 
we  growled  a  good  deal ;  but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  so  Jones 
stayed  with  the  captain,  and  McLane  and  I  with  Baldwin. 
Captain  John  H.  Aulick  of  the  Potomac,  being  the  senior  cap 
tain  in  the  fleet,  was  appointed  to  command  the  battery  on 
the  first  day,  March  24,  1847,  and  after  that  Captains  Mayo, 
Stringham,  Forrest  and  Breese  were  to  command  one  day 
each  in  succession. 

The  guns  were  mounted  on  platforms,  on  their  own  car 
riages.  The  recoil  was  checked  with  sand-bags,  and  they  were 
run  out  with  the  side-tackles  and  handspikes.  Our  gun  was 
fired  with  a  match,  as  we  had  the  lock  blown  off  early  in  the 
fight. 

I  should  mention  that  the  battery  was  constructed  entirely 
of  sand-bags.  I  do  not  know  whether  this  was  the  first  time 
that  sand-bags  were  so  used,  but  they  answered  their  purpose 
so  admirably  this  day  that  I  wonder  that  any  engineer  who 
witnessed  the  fight  should  ever  have  thought  of  any  other 
fortifications  than  "  earthworks."  I  am  very  sorry  I  cannot 
give  the  name  of  the  officer  who  planned  this  work.  It  re 
sisted  a  very  heavy  fire  for  two  days,  and  was  not  injured  to 
any  extent.  What  damage  wras  done  was  repaired  at  night 
and  I  suppose  we  could  have  held  it  for  an  indefinite  time. 

We  were  sponging  the  last  gun  mounted,  and  getting  the 
sand  out  of  it,  when  the  battery  opposite  us  opened  with  a  fire 
so  well  aimed  that  it  was  evident  we  were  discovered.  Orders 
were  immediately  given  to  unmask  the  battery,  and  it  was 
soon  done.  The  Mexicans  had  a  cross-fire  on  us  from  seven 
forts  and  now  opened  on  us  from  them  all ;  and  the  castle 


INCIDENTS.  97 

threw  10-inch  bombshells  over  the  city  in  our  midst.  For  the 
first  five  minutes  the  air  seemed  to  be  full  of  missiles,  and  it 
did  really  look  as  if  it  was  "  no  place  for  the  bugler."  But 
our  men  soon  settled  down  to  their  work  and  let  them  know 
what  American  sailors  could  do  with  navy  guns. 

We  heard  afterwards  that  when  the  Mexican  engineers  picked 
up  some  64-pounder  shells  which  had  not  exploded  and  32- 
pounder  solid  shot  they  said  the  place  must  fall. 

We  fired  with  great  accuracy  and  after  a  few  hours  the 
enemy's  fire  commenced  to  slacken,  though  it  was  still  heavy. 
A  few  minutes  after  we  opened  I  heard  a  peculiar  "  thud," 
and  turning  round  I  saw  that  a  man's  head  had  been  taken 
off  by  a  round-shot  at  the  next  gun.  I  saw  Ingersoll  wipe 
the  man's  brains  off  his  own  face  with  a  white  handkerchief, 
and  coolly  go  on  with  his  firing.  This  was  the  first  man  I 
ever  saw  killed  by  a  solid  shot.  , 

Lieutenant  Baldwin  happening  to  say  about  this  time  that 
his  gun  was  not  entirely  unmasked  so  that  he  could  see  Mid 
shipman  McLane  and  a  man  named  Cavanagh  sprang  through 
the  embrasure  and  cleared  away  the  brushwrood.  For  this 
gallant  act  they  were  very  properly  mentioned  by  Captain 
Aulick  in  his  official  report. 

Our  fire  was  first  directed  against  the  batteries,  or  forts,  and 
afterwards  at  the  walls  of  the  city.  Lieutenant  Baldwin  fired 
with  great  coolness  and  deliberation  and  soon  succeeded  in 
cutting  away  the  flagstaff  of  the  battery  opposite  us — called 
by  our  men  the  "  red  "  battery,  and  the  most  spiteful  devil  of 
them  all.  At  this  all  hands  mounted  the  parapet  and  gave 
three  cheers.  We  cut  away  the  walls  to  the  right  and  left  of 
the  forts  as  cheese  is  sliced  with  a  knife  and  soon  made  a 
practicable  breach,  if  it  had  been  intended  to  assault.  These 
breaches  were  filled  up  that  night  with  sand-bags  and  were 
stronger  than  ever.  This  I  noticed  upon  a  visit  to  the  town  a 
few  days  after  it  had  surrendered. 

Several  amusing  scenes  came  under  my  observation  during 
Un  day.  Just  in  the  rear  of  the  guns  a  trench  had  been  dug 
5 


98        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

for  the  powder-boys  to  jump  into  for  shelter.  They  would 
run  from  the  magazine,  a  little  farther  back,  and  wait  in  the 
trench  until  the  cartridge  was  wanted.  A  large  shell  happen 
ing  to  fall  just  back  of  the  trench  the  order  was  given  to  lie 
down.  A  powder-boy  threw  himself  upon  the  ground  very 
near  the  shell,  and  I  saw  him  eye  it  anxiously.  He  then  com 
menced  rolling  himself  towards  the  trench,  and  there  being  a 
gentle  inclination  the  disturbance  of  the  loose  earth  caused 
the  shell  to  roll  after  him  ! 

Dickens  says  that  Miss  La  Crevy,  the  little  portrait  painter 
in  Nicholas  Nickleby,  upon  hearing  of  the  death  of  Smike 
screwed  her  face,  in  the  effort  to  prevent  crying,  into  such  re 
markable  contortions  that  "  if  she  could  have  transferred  it 
to  canvas  she  would  have  made  her  everlasting  fortune :  "  and 
so  it  was  with  that  boy's  expression  if  I  could  but  paint  it. 
Finally  he  rolled  into  the  trench  and  the  shell  followed — 
fortunately  not  on  top  of  him.  No  jack-in-a-box  ever  sprang 
up  with  more  sprightliness  than  did  that  powder  monkey ! 
After  all  the  shell  did  not  explode. 

Upon  another  occasion  a  shell  fell  in  the  battery  and  at  the 
order  "  down  !  "  a  number  of  us  fell  on  the  ground  together, 
with  Passed  Midshipman  Charles  M.  Fauntleroy  underneath. 
He  had  a  self-cocking  revolver  in  his  hand  and  in  the  excite 
ment  involuntarily  fired  off  two  barrels ;  one  of  the  bullets 
wounded  me  slightly  in  the  left  knee ;  and  although  it  only 
broke  the  skin,  it  pained  me  for  some  weeks  after.  Where 
the  bullets  went,  and  why  some  one  was  not  killed  (unless  it 
was  because  they  were  midshipmen)  is  more  than  I  can  tell. 

Fauntleroy  was  stationed  at  the  next  gun  to  me  :  at  the  end 
of  the  day's  fight  hearing  Captain  Aulick  express  a  desire  to 
send  a  dispatch  to  the  beach  he  volunteered  to  take  it.  As 
the  Mexicans  were  playing  upon  us  with  all  their  guns  at  this 
time,  we  being  out  of  ammunition  and  unable  to  reply,  it  was 
no  joke  to  go  from  under  the  protection  of  our  parapet.  He 
got  safely  through,  however,  and  he  should  have  been  specially 
mentioned  for  it ;  but  he  was  not.  He  served  with  much  dis- 


PASSED  MIDSHIPMAN  FA  UNTLERO  Y.  99 

tinction  in  the  civil  war  on  the  southern  side,  sometimes  in  the 
navy  and  at  others  in  the  army.  At  one  time  he  was  the  in 
spector  general  of  General  Jos.  E.  Johnston's  army.  A  better 
officer  or  more  chivalric  man  never  trod  a  quarter  deck ;  and 
a  truer  messmate  never  took  his  bean  soup  out  of  a  cigar-box 
(with  a  sliding  cover  to  prevent  the  other  reefers  from  grab 
bing)  as  he  told  me  he  once  did  himself.  By  the  way  he  was 
the  fellow  that  bought  the  one-eyed  game  cock  in  San  Domingo. 
As  we  got  out  of  ammunition  the  embrasures  were  filled  up 
with  sand  bags,  and  the  men  were  directed  to  lie  close  in  under 
the  parapet  and  traverses.  We  were  the  last  gun  to  expend 
our  ammunition,  and  Lieutenant  Baldwin  being  wounded,  I 
had  the  honor  of  being  left  in  command  of  it.  At  the  very 
last  fire  we  double  shotted  it,  which  was  a  rash  thing  to  do  as 
the  gun  was  very  much  heated  and  there  was  danger  of  its 
bursting.  Indeed  Captain  Aulick  said  the  gun  certainly  would 
burst  and  ordered  me  to  draw  one  of  the  shot ;  but  we  had 
no  means  to  do  it ;  so  sending  the  men  out  of  the  way  after 
aiming  it,  McLane  stood  on  one  side  of  the  breech  with  a 
match  and  I  on  the  other,  and  we  fired  it.  I  suppose  our  idea 
in  doing  this  was  that  if  the  gun  did  burst  we  would  not  live 
to  be  reprimanded  by  "  old  Aulick."  After  filling  up  all  the 
embrasures  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  sit  under  the  parapet 
and  await  the  arrival  of  our  "relief"  under  Captain  Mayo. 
The  Mexicans  having  returned  to  their  guns,  most  of  which  we 
had  previously  silenced,  sent  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  over 
our  heads  and  it  was  rather  fun  to  watch  the  new  fellows 
coming  up,  though  they  probably  "  did  not  see  it."  Our  loss 
this  day  was  four  killed ;  and  one  officer  and  five  men  wounded. 
I  never  heard  what  the  loss  of  the  enemy  was  from  our  fire. 

Upon  Captain  Mayo  assuming  the  command  we  were  ordered 
to  make  the  best  of  our  way  to  the  beach,  and  the  Potomac's 
men  left  in  charge  of  Midshipmen  Jones  and  McLane.  I  went 
down  in  a  wagon  to  take  care  of  Mr.  Baldwin  wTho  was 
wounded.  We  had  four  wild  mules  hitched  to  an  army  wagon, 
and  as  the  road  was  frequently  blocked  by  other  wagons,  and 


100      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

one  of  our  mules  had  his  tail  shaved  off  by  a  cannon  shot,  it 
was  with  much  difficulty  and  danger  that  we  got  through. 
However  by  8  p.  M.  we  were  all  safely  on  board  the  old  Poto 
mac,  eating  our  supper  of  hard  tack  and  salt  junk,  and  telling 
the  other  fellows  "  all  about  it."  On  the  next  day,  25th,  the 
navy  battery  continued  its  good  work  under  the  gallant  Cap 
tain  Isaac  N.  Mayo.  The  fire  from  it  confirmed  the  Mexicans 
in  the  belief  that  the  town  must  fall,  and  on  the  evening  of 
that  day  they  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce  preparatory  to  surrender 
ing.  Our  loss  in  the  battery  was  Midshipman  T.  Shubrick  of 
the  Mississippi  and  several  men  killed  and  a  few  wounded. 
On  the  27th  commissioners  were  appointed  to  arrange  the 
terms  of  the  capitulation,  and  Captain  Aulick  represented  the 
navy  on  the  occasion.  The  fall  of  Vera  Cruz  did  not  neces 
sarily  involve  that  of  the  castle,  for  the  latter  commanded  the 
city.  For  this  reason  preparations  were  being  made  in  the 
fleet  to  carry  the  castle  by  an  escalade  in  case  it  held  out. 
For  some  reason  it  did  not  do  so,  and  its  commander  gave  up 
when  the  city  did.  Some  said  that  General  Scott  would  have 
assaulted  the  city  on  the  night  of  the  25th  had  the  flag  of  truce 
not  come  out  that  afternoon ;  but  I  know  nothing  as  to  the 
truth  of  this  report.  General  Scott  probably  kept  his  own 
counsel.  The  enemy  surrendered  five  thousand  prisoners,  and 
five  hundred  pieces  of  artillery  of  all  calibres.  Taking  every 
thing  into  consideration  they  made  a  brave  defence.  The  loss 
of  life  among  the  soldiers  was  not  great ;  but  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  many  women  and  children  were  killed.  This  was  not 
General  Scott's  fault,  as  he  gave  the  authorities  a  chance  to 
send  them  away  which  they  declined  to  avail  themselves  of. 
When  our  advance  guard  entered  the  town  on  the  27th  to  take 
possession  they  saw  just  as  they  passed  through  the  gate  the 
naked  corpse  of  a  woman  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  street, 
placed  there  for  effect,  of  course..  During  the  bombardment 
the  citizens  took  refuge  in  the  churches,  which  was  unfortunate 
for  them  as  the  steeples  and  towers  made  them  conspicuous 
objects  by  which  to  "  lay"  the  mortars.  On  the  27th  our  army 


BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO.  1Q1 

marched  in,  as  I  have  said,  and  many  of  the  naval  officers 
were  allowed  to  go  on  shore  to  witness  the  ceremonies.  I  went 
in  a  boat  to  the  mole  to  be  ready  to  transport  our  captain  to 
the  castle.  It  seemed  to  me  strange  to  pull  in  under  the  guns 
of  the  castle  without  being  fired  at.  We  had  been  watching 
it  at  a  distance  for  so  many  long  months  that  I  could  not  divest 
myself  of  a  feeling  of  awe  as  we  approached  it.  The  mole  was 
occupied  by  the  lazzaroni  who  were  civil  enough  while  we 
waited  there.  After  some  hours  the  "  advance"  arrived,  and 
I  took  General  Patterson  and  Captain  Aulick  to  the  castle  of 
San  Juan.  I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  examine  it,  both  then 
and  afterwards.  I  have  recorded  my  opinion  as  to  its  strength. 
It  is  only  that  of  a  young  midshipman.  When  I  first  visited 
it,  it  was  certainly  the  filthiest  place  I  had  ever  been  in  ;  and 
as  for  the  smells  the  city  of  Cologne  itself  could  not  surpass 
them. 

General  Scott's  plans  for  the  capture  of  Vera  Cruz  and 
prosecution  of  the  campaign  were  admirable.  As  the  troops 
detailed  for  the  garrison  of  the  castle  and  town  marched  in  to 
take  possession  the  division  of  "  regulars"  under  General  Twiggs 
took  up  the  line  of  march  for  the  city  of  Mexico.  Only  twen 
ty-two  days  after  the  fall  of  Vera  Cruz  Scott  defeated  the 
Mexicans  at  Cerro  Gordo,  where  Santa  Anna  was  strongly 
posted  with  an  army  of  twelve  thousand  men.  Captain  Joseph 
E.  Johnston  of  the  topographical  engineers  (the  present  Gen 
eral  Johnston)  was  badly  wounded  the  day  before  this  battle 
while  reconnoitring,  and  Midshipman  McLane  of  our  ship 
who  was  his  brother-in-law  went  up  to  look  out  for  him ;  so 
when  he  returned  he  told  us  much  about  this  fight.  The 
marines  of  the  fleet  were  on  shore  with  the  army  during  the 
entire  siege  and  behaved  with  great  gallantry,  as  indeed  they 
did  in  all  the  naval  operations  of  the  war.  A  few  days  after 
our  occupation  of  the  city  I  went  on  shore  and  visited  the  forts, 
&c. — they  were  badly  battered.  In  the  churches  the  organs, 
pictures  and  images  were  generally  knocked  to  pieces,  and 
men  were  hard  at  work  glueing  on  the  arms  and  legs  of  the 


102      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

saints.  I  thought  it  characteristic  of  these  people  to  be  at  this 
when  there  were  so  many  suffering  people  outside  to  be  attended 
to.  I  saw  many  sad  sights  that  day  in  the  way  of  wounded 
non-combatants,  and  was  glad  to  get  back  to  the  ship  again. 

The  Potomac  now  went  up  and  anchored  near  the  castle.  We 
sent  a  number  of  the  captured  guns  home.  I  spent  many 
an  hour  in  carrying  them  to  the  transports — they  were  gener 
ally  very  long  eighteen  pounders,  cast  of  brass  or  bronze — the 
metal  was  very  valuable  and  the  original  cost  of  the  arma 
ment  of  the  castle  and  city  must  have  been  enormous.  Some 
of  the  guns  were  very  old,  and  no  doubt  had  a  history.  All 
had  names  and  mottoes  inscribed  on  them ;  one  was  called 
"  the  terror  of  the  North  Americans."  Many  of  these  guns  are 
now  at  the  naval  academy  in  Annapolis — to  me  they  recall 
days  of  hard  work,  whatever  may  be  the  thoughts  of  others 
in  viewing  them. 


EXPEDITION  TO  ALVAEADO.  103 


CHAPTER  X. 

EXPEDITION  TO  ALVAEADO  — "  ALVARADO  "  HUNTER  AND  THE  STEAMER 
" SCOURGE" — A  COINCIDENCE — AN  ALLEGORY — CAPTURE  OF  TUSPAN — 
JACK  BEARD'S  DISAPPOINTMENT— GRAND  EXPEDITION  TO  TOBASCO— AT 
TACK  ON  THE  GUNBOATS  BY  THE  ENEMY  IN  AMBUSH — LANDING  AT  THE 
DEVIL'S  BEND— THE  MARCH — INCIDENTS— THE  STEAMERS  RAISE  THE 
CHEVAUX  DE  FRISE  AND  TAKE  THE  FORT— CAPTURE  OF  THE  TOWN  OF 
TOBASCO — CAPTAIN  BIGELOW  APPOINTED  GOVERNOR — AN  UNFORTUNATE 
AFFAIR  —  SAIL  FOR  HOME  IN  THE  FRIGATE  "  RARITAN  "  —  YELLOW 
FEVER — ARRIVAL  AT  NORFOLK. 

AFTER  the  capture  of  Vera  Cruz,  in  which  the  Navy  had 
played  so  conspicuous  a  part,  Commodore  Perry  determined  to 
take  Alvarado,  which  place  it  will  be  remembered  had  suc 
cessfully  resisted  two  attempts  made  on  it  by  the  vessels  under 
Commodore  Conner.  Alvarado,  situated  near  the  mouth  of 
the  river  of  the  same  "name,  is  a  small  town,  thirty-three  miles 
S.  E.  of  Vera  Cruz.  At  this  time  it  was  blockaded  by  the 
Scourge,  Lieutenant  Commanding  Charles  G.  Hunter.  The 
Scourge  was  a  very  small  steamer,  carrying  one  gun,  and  a 
crew  of  perhaps  forty  men.  She  had  but  lately  joined  the 
squadron. 

The  Commodore  made  great  preparations  for  this  attack, 
and  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure  a  brigade  under  General 
Quitman  was  to  march  along  the  beach  and  co-operate  with 
the  vessels. 

We  accordingly  sailed  in  the  Potomac,  and  as  the  signal  was 
made  to  the  ships  to  make  the  best  of  their  way,  we,  being  out 
of  trim  and  consequently  a  dull  sailer,  did  not  arrive  oft 
Alvarado  until  towards  the  last.  As  we  approached  the  bar 
we  saw  that  something  was  wrong  as  the  vessels  were  all 
underweigh  instead  of  being  at  anchor.  Very  soon  the  Albany 


104       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

hailed  us  and  said  that  Alvarado  was  taken.  "  By  whom  ?  " 
asked  our  captain."  "  By  Lieutenant  Hunter,  in  the  Scourge" 
was  the  reply.  And  so  it  was.  Hunter,  the  day  before  had 
stood  in  pretty  close  and  observing  indications  of  flinching  on 
the  part  of  the  enemy  he  dashed  boldly  in  and  captured  the 
place  almost  without  firing  a  gun.  Not  satisfied  with  this  he 
threw  a  garrison,  consisting  of  a  midshipman  and  two  men,  on 
shore  and  proceeded  in  his  steamer  up  the  river  to  a  place 
called  Tlacatalpan  which  he  also  captured. 

When  General  Quitman  arrived  with  his  brigade  and  the 
place  was  gravely  delivered  over  to  him  by  Passed  Midshipman 
William  G.  Temple  (the  present  Commodore  Temple),  he  was 
greatly  amused  and  laughed  heartily  over  the  affair.  But  it 
was  far  otherwise  with  Commodore  Perry ;  he  was  furious  and 
as  soon  as  he  could  get  hold  of  Hunter  (which  was  not  so  easy 
to  do  as  he  continued  his  way  up  the  river,  and  we  could  hear 
him  firing  right  and  left),  he  placed  him  under  arrest,  and 
preferred  charges  against  him.  This  was  a  mistake — he  should 
have  complimented  him  in  a  general  order,  and  let  the  thing 
pass.  Lieutenant  Hunter  was  shortly  after  tried  by  a  court- 
martial  and  sentenced  to  be  reprimanded  by  the  Commodore  ; 
the  reprimand  to  be  read  on  the  quarter-deck  of  every  vessel  in 
the  squadron.  This  was  done,  and  the  reprimand  was  very 
bitter  in  tone  and  unnecessarily  severe. 

The  reprimand  said  in  effect :  "  Who  told  you  to  capture 
Alvarado?  You  were  sent  to  watch  Alvarado,  and  not  to 
take  it.  You  have  taken  Alvarado  with  but  a  single  gun,  and 
not  a  marine  to  back  you !  "  and  it  wound  up  by  saying  that 
the  squadron  would  soon  make  an  attack  on  Tobasco,  in  which 
he  should  not  join;  but  that  he  should  be  dismissed  the 
squadron.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the  Commodore  was 
not  favorably  regarded  by  the  officers  of  the  squadron ;  and 
as  to  the  people  at  home  they  made  a  hero  of  Hunter.  Dinners 
were  given  him,  swords  presented,  etc.,  and  he  was  known  as 
"  Alvarado  "  Hunter  to  his  dying  day. 

Poor  Hunter,  his  fate  was  a  sad  one  after  all.     Soon  after 


A  COINCIDENCE.  105 

his  arrival  at  home  his  friends  got  him  the  command  of  the 
schooner  Taney,  and  in  her  he  made  a  sort  of  a  roving  cruise 
in  the  Mediterranean.  He  was  not  allowed  a  purser,  and  being 
extremely  careless  with  his  accounts  found  himself  heavily  in 
volved  upon  his  return  to  the  United  States.  His  friends  came 
to  his  assistance  and  succeeded  in  getting  him  another  com 
mand.  He  went  to  the  Brazil  station  in  command  of  the  brig 
Bainbridge.  I  think  this  was  in  1854  or  '55.  After  being  on 
the  station  for  a  year  or  so,  he  got  into  some  difficulty  with 
the  commodore  and  deliberately  ran  away  from  the  squadron 
in  his  brig,  and  brought  her  home  to  New  York.  Relying 
upon  his  popularity  he  issued  an  "  address"  to  the  people  as 
soon  as  he  arrived.  As  well  as  I  remember  he  found  fault 
with  his  commodore  for  not  sending  the  Bainbridge  to  the 
Falkland  islands  to  adjust  some  matters  in  dispute  and  for 
which  business  the  commodore  no  doubt  considered  him  too 
rash.  The  "  address  "  fell  to  the  ground.  It  would  not  do — the 
offence  was  of  too  serious  a  nature  to  be  overlooked,  and  he 
v/as  immediately  dismissed  the  service  by  the  President.  Not 
very  long  after,  he  died  in  a  New  York  hospital.  In  many  re 
spects  he  was  one  of  the  best  naval  officers  of  his  day. 

Looking  over  Bernal  Diaz'  "  Conquest  of  Mexico  "  not  long 
ago  I  came  across  an  incident  related  by  him  which  strikes  me 
as  a  rather  remarkable  coincidence  :  he  says,  in  speaking  of  the 
voyage  of  Juan  de  Grijalva  in  1518,  and  in  which  Pedro  de 
Alvarado  (afterwards  a  captain  under  Cortez)  had  a  command : 
"Alvarado  discovered  and  entered  the  river  called  by  the 
natives  Papalohuna,  but  by  us  afterwards  the  river  of  Alvara 
do  ;  where  the  natives  of  a  place  named  Tlatocalpa  presented 
him  with  some  fish.  Our  chief  was  much  displeased  with  the 
conduct  of  this  officer,  for  whose  return  we  were  obliged  to  wait 
for  the  space  of  three  days,  and  gave  orders  that  in  future  no 
ship  should  ever  separate  from  the  squadron." 

Upon  my  return  to  the  United  States  after  the  war,  while 
traveling  between  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  I  bought  a 
New  York  paper  which  contained  an  article  which  seems  not 

5* 


106      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

to  have  been  generally  read ;  at  least  I  have  never  mentioned 
it  to  a  man  who  had  read  it.  It  was  headed :  An  Allegory, 
and  was  so  apropos  that  I  am  tempted  to  repeat  it : 

"  Once  upon  a  time  the  inhabitants  of  a  certain  village  were 
much  annoyed  by  the  depredations  of  a  wolf.  Two  expeditions 
had  been  organized  and  sent  out  to  kill  this  wolf,  but  failed  to 
find  him.  One  day,  however,  a  man  came  in  and  reported 
that  he  had  seen  the  wolf  go  into  a  cave,  and  he  thought  that 
if  they  went  out  soon  enough  they  would  catch  him.  The 
Selectmen  of  the  village  immediately  called  up  a  countryman 
and  directed  him  to  go  out  and  watch  the  mouth  of  the  cave  to 
see  that  the  wolf  did  not  escape ;  and  he,  throwing  a  hoe  over 
his  shoulder,  and  whistling  up  his  dog,  started  out  to  do  so. 
The  Selectmen  now  organized  a  grand  expedition  with  music 
and  banners,  and  marched  out  to  the  cave.  Upon  their  arrival 
there  the  countryman  met  them  with  the  information  that  the 
wolf  was  dead  ;  he  said  that  while  he  was  watching  the  mouth 
of  the  cave  the  wolf  got  his  head  in  a  hole  and  could  not  draw 
it  out  again ;  seeing  which  he  went  in  and  chopped  his  head  off 
with  his  hoe.  The  Selectmen  were  highly  indignant  at  this  in 
formation,  and  the  chief  man  stepped  forward  and  reprimanded 
the  countryman  in  these  words :  "  Who  told  you  to  kill  that 
wolf?  You  were  sent  to  watch  that  wolf  and  not  to  kill  him. 
You  have  killed  that  wolf  with  a  single  hoe,  and  only  a  dog  to 
back  you !  But  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is ;  we  are  going  on  a 
coon  hunt  to-night,  and  d — n  you,  you  shan't  go."  I  never 
knew  who  of  Hunter's  friends  wrote  this  article,  but  it  struck 
me  as  clever. 

Commodore  Perry  next  turned  his  attention  to  the  capture 
of  Tuspan.  The  Potomac  sent  a  detachment  of  fifty  men  on 
this  expedition,  under  a  lieutenant.  Midshipman  Hunter 
went  from  our  mess.  The  bar  at  Tuspan  is  a  dangerous 
one  and  the  small  steamers  had  their  masts  hoisted  out  to 
lighten  them.  Commodore  Perry  hoisted  his  flag  on  the 
Spitfire  and  led  the  way  up  the  river  with  the  boats  of  the 
squadron  in  tow.  The  first  fort  on  the  river  below  the  town, 


JA  CK  BEARD'S  DISAPPOINTMENT.  107 

called  the  Pana,  was  silenced  by  the  guns  of  the  Spitfire  and 
then  stormed  by  the  sailors ;  two  other  forts  were  taken  in  the 
same  way  and  the  town  was  occupied. 

The  Mexicans  made  a  spirited  defence.  Captain  Tatnall, 
Commander  Whittle  and  Lieutenant  James  Parker  were 
wounded,  with  some  men.  We  lost  but  one  man  killed.  The 
guns  taken  from  the  brig  Truxtun  were  found  in  one  of  the 
forts,  and  restored  to  the  fleet. 

Upon  Hunter's  return  from  this  expedition  he  had  many 
amusing  yarns  to  spin.  We  had  a  man  named  John  Beard,  - 
captain  of  the  maintop,  who  was  an  original  in  his  way. 
Hunter  told  us  that  in  the  attack  on  the  town  of  Tuspan 
Beard  pushed  ahead  after  the  retreating  enemy  and  succeeded 
in  capturing  a  soldier;  taking  his  musket  from  him,  and 
tying  his  hands  behind  his  back  with  his  neckerchief,  he  pro 
ceeded  to  take  him  to  headquarters.  On  his  way  he  in 
vited  those  of  his  shipmates  whom  he  met  to  turn  back  as  he 
intended  to  show  his  prisoner  to  the  commodore,  and  then 
take  him  out  and  shoot  him.  This  interesting  spectacle  he 
thought  they  would  not  like  to  miss.  Upon  the  commodore's 
ordering  the  prisoner  to  be  put  in  the  guard-house,  Jack  pre 
ferred  his  modest  request  to  take  him  out  and  deal  with  him 
in  accordance  with  his  deserts.  To  his  surprise  the  commodore 
pitched  into  him  most  savagely,  and  came  near  giving  him  a 
dozen  with  the  "  cat-o'-nine-tails  "  there  and  then. 

"  Well,"  said  Beard,  "  if  I  had  supposed  he  was  to  be  put 
in  the  guard-house  I  would  have  shot  him  when  I  had  the 
chance."  He  always  considered  himself  badly  treated  in  this 
affair. 

There  remained  but  one  place  of  importance  on  the  coast 
in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  to  that  we  now  turned  our 
attention.  It  was  Tobasco,  which  I  have  already  described  ; 
and  as  it  was  well  garrisoned  and  commanded  by  a  brave  officer, 
General  Bravo,  we  expected  a  serious  resistance.  Great  care 
was  taken  in  organizing  the  attacking  force.  It  consisted  of 
the  light  vessels  and  cutters.  I  can  recall,  of  the  vessels  which 


108      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

went  up  the  river,  the  steamers  Scorpion  and  Spitfire ;  the  bomb 
vessel  Vesuvius;  the  brig  Washington  and  detachments  from 
the  Raritan,  Potomac,  Mississippi,  Germantown  and  Decatur. 
Doubtless  there  were  other  vessels  represented.  The  force  was 
divided  into  two  grand  divisions;  and  we  had  a  thousand 
sailors  and  marines,  and  ten  pieces  of  light  artillery  ready  to 
land.  The  guns  were  the  Army  six-pounders  and  were  drawn 
by  hand.  I  was  detached  from  the  Potomac  and  ordered  to 
the  frigate  Raritan,  then  lying  off  the  mouth  of  the  Tobasco 
/  river,  and  went  down  in  the  flag-ship  Mississippi  to  join  her. 

A  detachment  of  fifty  men  from  the  Potomac,  under  Lieu 
tenant  Stellwagen  and  Midshipman  A.  McLaughlin,  took 
passage  in  the  Mississippi  as  part  of  the  attacking  force. 
Commodore  Perry  kindly  offered  me  a  place  on  his  staff;  but 
finding  an  old  shipmate,  Lieutenant  L.  Maynard,  in  command 
of  a  company  of  pioneers  I  preferred  joining  him. 

Arriving  off  the  river  in  June,  1847,  the  Scorpion  bearing 
the  flag  of  Commodore  Perry  with  the  first  division  in  tow 
crossed  the  bar  and  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  river, 
followed  by  the  second  division,  commanded  by  Captain  For 
rest,  in  tow  of  the  Spitfire. 

I  was  in  a  small  whale-boat  with  Midshipman  King  and  the 
company  of  pioneers.  Our  boat  towed  astern  of  the  brig 
Washington  and  she  was  in  tow  of  the  Scorpion,  Captain 
Bigelow. 

The  city  of  Tobasco,  called  also  San  Juan  de  Bautista  and 
Villa  Hermosa,  is  seventy-five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  We  anchored  off  the  town  of  Frontera  the  first  day 
and  made  our  final  dispositions.  The  next  morning  at  dawn 
wre  started  again.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  as  we 
were  going  along  in  fancied  security  we  were  fired  on  by  the 
Mexicans  lying  in  ambush  on  a  high  hill.  We  had  no  one 
hurt,  the  shots  going  over  us,  and  we  returned  the  fire  without 
stopping.  We  continued  on  up  the  river  and  about  sunset 
anchored  at  a  place  called  the  "  Devil's  Bend,"  seven  miles 
below  the  town  of  Tobasco.  Here  the  river  was  known  to  be 


GRAND  EXPEDITION  TO  TOBASCO.  109 

obstructed  by  a  chevaux  de  frise ;  and  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  commodore  to  land  the  men  here  if  it  was  found  impos 
sible  to  raise  the  obstruction.  As  soon  as  the  vessels  anchored 
we  youngsters  assembled  on  board  the  Scorpion  and  commenced 
discussing  the  attack  made  on  us  in  the  afternoon.  Passed 
Midshipman  Nelson  (known  as  Bully  Nelson)  was  expatiating 
in  a  loud  voice,  after  his  manner ;  the  subject  of  his  remarks 
was  that  he  did  not  believe  that  we  had  been  fired  into  at  ail- 
that  it  was  all  gammon,  etc.  Now  the  commodore  did  not 
intend  to  have  any  part  of  our  work  depreciated,  so  Mr.  Nelson 
was  promptly  suspended  and  sent  below.  This  was  my  first 
introduction  to  this  officer,  who  was  a  brave  man  if  he  was  a 
bully.  He  became  a  major-general  in  the  U.  S.  Army,  dis 
tinguished  himself  at  Shiloh,  and  was  finally  killed  by  one  of 
his  own  brigadier-generals  for  some  affront,  real  or  fancied. 

The  vessels  and  boats  all  lay  huddled  together  at  the  Devil's 
Bend,  and  just  about  dark  a  Mexican  came  to  the  bank  of  the 
river  and  deliberately  shot  a  man  on  board  the  Vesuvius.  A 
bold  fellow  whoever  he  was,  and  although  we  opened  with 
great  guns,  field  artillery,  and  small  arms  I  do  not  believe  he 
was  hit! 

The  next  morning  at  daylight  Lieutenants  Alden  and  May 
were  sent  up  the  river  in  their  boats  to  sound  over  the  obstruc 
tions.  They  had  hardly  commenced  operations  when  the  enemy 
opened  a  fire  upon  them  from  the  banks  by  which  Lieutenant 
May  and  some  men  were  wounded.  It  being  impossible  to 
continue  the  work  under  this  fire  the  boats  returned,  and  the 
commodore  determined  to  land  the  men  and  march  to  the  city. 
This  was  done,  and  in  a  short  time  we  had  a  thousand  men 
and  ten  field  pieces  on  shore.  It  was  hard  work  scrambling 
up  the  bank,  which  was  steep,  and  how  the  guns  were  hauled 
up  I  never  knew ;  but  it  was  done,  and  a  pretty  sight  it  was 
as  seen  from  the  vessels.  Of  this  force  two  hundred  were 
marines  under  Captain  Edson,  and  a  fine  body  of  men  they 
were.  The  order  of  march  was  that  the  pioneers  should  con 
stitute  the  advance  guard,  then  the  marines,  and  next  the  com- 


110      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

panics  of  sailors,  with  the  field  pieces  in  the  centre.  As  soon 
as  the  pioneers  landed,  we  pushed  ahead  to  look  for  the  road, 
and  having  found  it  the  order  was  given  to  the  command  to 
march.  After  marching  a  few  miles  we  came  upon  the  Mexi 
cans  who  opened  fire  upon  us  from  an  intrenchment.  A  halt 
was  called  by  the  commodore,  and  the  field  pieces  were  ordered 
to  the  front ;  they  commenced  firing  as  they  got  up.  The 
marines  deployed  on  our  right,  and  wre  were  all  in  line  eagerly 
waiting  for  the  word  to  charge.  Now  I  was  "  flying  light"  upon 
this  occasion  ;  instead  of  being  loaded  down  with  arms  and  am 
munition  as  most  of  the  officers  were  I  had  but  my  dress  sword, 
which  I  carried  in  my  hand,  and  a  small  double  barreled  rifle 
pistol  in  my  breast  pocket.  My  haversack  I  threw  away,  and 
being  clothed  in  simple  jacket  and  trousers,  with  not  even  a 
vest,  I  was  ready  for  a  "  fight  or  a  foot-race."  Commodore 
Perry  was  well  in  front  with  a  sailor  holding  his  broad  pen 
nant  immediately  behind  him,  presumably  as  a  good  mark  for 
the  enemy.  After  a  few  rounds  from  Blunt's  and  Frank  Mur 
ray's  guns  the  order  was  given  to  charge,  and  away  we  went, 
pioneers  with  their  axes,  marines,  artillerymen  and  sailors  in  a 
mass.  For  my  own  part  I  had  no  definite  idea  as  to  what  I 
expected  to  do ;  but  I  determined  at  all  events  to  get  to  the 
front,  and  I  did  so.  We  went  over  the  intrench ments,  from 
which  the  enemy  fled  as  soon  as  they  saw  us  coming.  I  was 
by  this  time  in  the  lead,  and  was  one  of  the  very  few  who 
caught  sight  of  a  Mexican  at  this  place.  I  had  one  in  sight 
and  did  my  best  to  capture  him.  Lieutenant  Maynard,  long 
as  his  legs  were,  could  not  keep  up  with  me,  and  I  could  hear 
him  shouting  in  an  exhausted  voice,  "  catch  him  Parker." 
After  running  my  man  a  half  a  mile  or  so,  we  came  to  a  ham 
let  ;  he  ran  through  a  hut,  or  open  shed,  and  I  after  him ;  and 
when  I  got  to  the  other  side  he  had  disappeared  and  was  not 
to  be  found.  It  was  a  narrow  escape — for  me  I  mean,  not  the 
Mexican,  for  as  I  weighed  about  one  hundred  pounds  only  I 
suppose  if  I  had  caught  him  he  would  have  coolly  cut  my 
throat  and  continued  his  flight.  As  our  men  came  up  we  re- 


THE  CHEVA  UX  DE  FRISE.  HI 

sumed  the  search,  but  without  success  ;  and  it  has  always  been 
a  mystery  to  me  where  in  the  mischief  he  did  go.  Maynard 
could  testify  that  he  was  not  like  Sarey  Gamp's  Mrs.  Harris ! 

The  march  was  resumed  and  soon  the  men  commenced  to 
suffer  from  the  heat,  and  want  of  water.  The  artillerymen, 
especially,  were  breaking  down.  Most  of  the  guns  had  been 
thoughtlessly  lauded  without  the  limbers,  and  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  draw  them  with  the  trails  dragging  on  the 
ground  ;  so  two  men  had  to  stand  by  to  lift  them.  All  the 
ammunition,  too,  was  in  boxes,  slung  to  handspikes,  and  car 
ried  across  the  men's  shoulders.  It  was  heartbreaking  and 
backbreaking  work,  and  many  men  succumbed.  It  took  all 
the  men  we  had  to  keep  the  guns  up  in  position.  Sailors  can 
not  march,  however  ready  they  may  be  to  attempt  it. 

Yf e  struck  the  river  about  this  time  and  the  men  rushed  in 
to  drink  without  much  regard  to  order,  and  just  then  to  our 
great  surprise  the  steamers  passed  by  and  gave  us  a  broadside. 
Fortunately  no  one  was  hurt,  and  we  hastened  to  show  our 


The  way  the  steamers  happened  to  be  there  was  this  :  a  cer 
tain  Captain  Taylor  had  invented  a  method  of  raising  sunken 
obstructions,  and  had  been  sent  out  with  his  apparatus.  He 
was  with  us  at  this  time.  His  method  consisted  simply  in 
this  :  India  rubber  bags  were  attached  to  the  obstructions  by 
divers ;  the  bags  were  then  inflated  with  air  by  means  of  tubes 
from  above  ;  and  their  buoyancy  wrould  cause  them  to  rise  and 
bring  up  the  obstructions.  In  this  way  the  chevaux  de  frise 
had  been  raised  at  the  Devil's  Bend ;  and  Captain  Bigelow 
immediately  started  up  the  river  with  the  vessels  under  his 
command. 

As  we  advanced  with  our  tired  men  the  pioneers  would  fre 
quently  be  called  back  from  the  front  to  assist  in  getting  the 
guns  across  the  rough  corduroy  roads  and  bridges  we  had  pre 
viously  constructed  ;  and  this  gave  us  an  extra  amount  of 
walking  ;  but  our  men  stood  it  very  well  and  we  were  in  the 
advance  when  we  came  in  sight  of  the  fort,  situated  on  the 


112       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

left  bank  of  the  river,  a  few  miles  below  Tobasco.  We  knew 
the  fort  contained  some  heavy  guns. 

Midshipman  King  was  sent  back  to  notify  the  commodore 
and  we  continued  to  advance.  We  were  in  single  file,  I  re 
member,  and  I  proposed  to  Maynard  that  we  should  form  "  line 
abreast,"  giving  as  a  reason  that  a  raking  shot  would  bowl  us 
all  down  like  nine-pins.  Maynard  adopted  the  suggestion. 
When  we  got  near  enough  to  distinguish  the  flag,  which  was 
flying  from  a  tall  flag-staff,  "  what  words  can  express  our  dis 
gust  and  surprise"  when  we  saw  that  it  was  the  American  flag ! ! 
We  had  had  our  toilsome  march  for  nothing.  The  steamers 
had  arrived  before  us,  and  after  a  short  action  had  captured 
the  fort — the  garrison  retreating  from  it.  I  have  always 
thought  that  this  was  a  fortunate  thing  for  the  land  party,  as 
we  would  have  lost  many  men  in  taking  it  by  assault  with  our 
limited  knowledge  of  military  tactics.  We  would  have  had  to 
advance  a  mile  across  a  plain  in  the  face  of  a  fire  from  a  num 
ber  of  heavy  guns,  and  I  do  not  suppose  it  would  have  entered 
our  heads  to  try  a  flank  movement.  Upon  our  arrival  at  the 
fort  the  commodore  ordered  a  halt  to  allow  the  line,  which 
now  extended  for  some  miles,  to  close  up.  We  found  a  well 
here,  and  were  glad  to  get  a  glass  of  cool  water.  After  some 
fifty  of  us  had  drank,  Commodore  Perry  came  up  and  directed 
that  no  one  should  drink  from  the  well  as  it  was  probably 
poisoned.  We  who  had  already  done  so  now  suffered  excru 
ciating  pains  for  a  short  time  ;  but  there  was  nothing  the  mat 
ter  with  the  water,  and  we  soon  forgot  all  about  it. 

When  the  line  was  closed  up  we  took  up  the  line  of  march 
for  the  city.  There  was  a  wide,  paved  road  to  it  from  the  fort, 
and  as  we  marched  along  in  company  front,  with  a  fine  band 
of  music  at  the  head  of  the  column  and  flags  flying,  we  no 
doubt  presented  a  gallant  appearance.  Most  of  the  inhabitants 
had  fled,  I  think,  and  the  only  persons  left  to  admire  us  were  a 
few  foreigners.  We  entered  the  city  about  sunset,  and  were 
assigned  quarters  by  our  acting  quartermaster.  The  few  people 
remaining  in  the  town  were  not  at  all  disturbed  by  us.  There 


AN  UNFORTUNATE  AFFAIR.  113 

was  some  drinking  by  our  men  the  first  night,  but  it  was  soon 
put  a  stop  to.  The  first  thing  I  saw  the  next  morning  was 
the  provost  guard  marching  off  a  lot  of  sailors  to  the  guard 
house.  Most  of  the  men  were  dressed  in  women's  clothes  and 
presented  a  ridiculous  appearance.  Captain  Bigelow  was  ap 
pointed  governor  of  the  town,  and  a  garrison  of  several  hundred 
men  detailed ;  the  rest  of  the  men  were  sent  back  to  their  ves 
sels  ;  the  pioneers  among  the  number. 

The  afternoon  we  left  Tobasco  on  our  return,  the  boats  assem 
bled  alongside  the  Vesuvius  at  the  Devil's  Bend.  I  suppose 
there  were  six  or  seven  hundred  men  collected  there,  and  one 
of  them  happening  to  discharge  his  musket  a  fusilade  com 
menced  which  the  officers  found  it  impossible  to  stop,  and 
finally  we  had  to  take  refuge  in  the  cabin  of  the  vessel  to  avoid 
being  shot.  The  men  kept  it  up  until  they  got  out  of  ammu 
nition.  That  night  one  of  the  steamers  towed  us  down  the 
river  and  the  next  morning  we  joined  our  respective  ships. 
The  garrison  at  Tobasco  was  not  left  in  quiet  possession  by  the 
Mexicans.  They  kept  it  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm.  Captain 
Bigelow  inarched  out  on  one  occasion  and  fought  a  battle  with 
them  and  defeated  them.  The  Potomac's  men  behaved  very 
well  in  this  combat. 

An  unfortunate  affair  occurred  during  the  summer.  The 
Mexicans  were  in  the  habit  of  stealing  up  on  our  outposts  at 
night  and  opening  an  annoying  fire.  Passed  Midshipman 
Bradford  of  the  Spitfire,  to  stop  it,  took  a  number  of  his  men 
out  one  evening  after  sunset  and  concealed  them  in  the  chap- 
parral: — the  idea  being  to  surprise  the  enemy, — but  unfortu 
nately  the  officer  in  command  of  the  field  piece  at  the  outpost, 
Midshipman  A.  McLaughlin,  was  not  notified  of  this  manoeu 
vre  ;  so  when  Bradford  opened  on  the  Mexicans  about  10  o'clock 
that  night  McLaughlin  opened  on  Bradford  and  killed  and 
wounded  a  number  of  his  men.  Fortunately  Bradford  made 
himself  known  before  the  field  piece  was  fired  a  second  time. 
The  capture  of  Tobasco  was  the  last  of  the  naval  operations  of 
the  war,  and  all  the  ports  were  now  in  our  possession. 


114      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

The  yellow  fever  broke  out  during  the  summer  along  the-en- 
tire  coast ;  it  was  particularly  virulent  at  Vera  Cruz  and  Anton 
Lizardo  and  the  navy  lost  many  valuable  officers  and  men. 
General  Scott  took  possession  of  the  city  of  Mexico  on  the  14th 
of  September,  1847,  which  practically  ended  the  war.  The 
treaty  of  peace  was  signed  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  on  the  2d  of 
February,  1848.  By  this  war  the  United  States  came  into 
possession  of  New  Mexico  and  California. 

Upon  my  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Tobasco  I  went 
on  board  the  frigate  Rctritan,  Captain  Forrest,  for  a  passage 
home.  My  old  ship,  the  Potomac  sailed  also  for  home  at  the 
same  time  from  Vera  Cruz.  We  sailed  for  Norfolk  about  the 
1st  of  July  and  the  yellow  fever  broke  out  the  day  after.  The 
first  case,  was  that  of  Midshipman  Robert  B.  Storer,  a  most 
promising  young  officer,  and  he  died  almost  before  I  realized 
that  he  was  sick.  The  surgeon  at  first  concealed  the  fact  that 
"  yellow  jack"  had  made  its  appearance,  but  we  very  soon  had 
from  150  to  200  officers  and  men  down  with  it.  It  became 
evident  that  the  worst  cases  were  those  whose  duties  kept  them 
much  below  decks,  such  as  the  purser's  clerk,  the  captain  of  the 
hold,  &c.,  and  the  captain  very  wisely  ordered  us  all  to  remain 
on  the  spar  and  main  decks,  and  not  to  go  below  under  any 
circumstances.  The  ward-room  officers  messed  on  the  spar 
deck  and  the  midshipmen  on  the  main  deck.  All  etiquette 
was  laid  aside,  drills  were  suspended,  and  everything  done  to 
make  all  hands  as  comfortable  as  possible.  Of  four  doctors 
but  one  remained  on  duty ;  most  fortunately  he  escaped  entirely. 
Captains  McCluney  and  Walker  (passengers  in  the  cabin)  were 
down ;  all  the  ward-room  officers  but  the  four  lieutenants,  and 
all  the  midshipmen  were  sick.  I  have  mentioned  in  a  former 
chapter  the  fact  that  it  was  my  second  attack.  The  ship 
became  a  floating  hospital,  and  to  make  matters  worse 
we  were  frequently  becalmed,  and  when  we  did  have  a  wind 
what  distance  we  made  to  the  eastward  we  would  lose  by  the 
strong  current  setting  to  the  westward  through  the  Yucatan 
channel.  Captain.  Forrest's  conduct  in  this  trying  time  was 


YELLOW  FEVER.  115 

admirable ;  he  frequently  visited  the  sick,  and  at  all  hours  of 
the  day  his  cheerful  voice  could  be  heard  singing  in  his  cabin. 
No  doubt  he  did  it  to  encourage  us.  As  for  myself  I  determined 
to  get  home  and  that  alone  saved  my  life.  Those  who  gave 
themselves  up  to  despair  soon  died.  I  cannot  attempt  to  de 
scribe  the  appearance  of  the  ship,  nor  the  many  weary  days  we 
passed — "  many  a  day  to  night  gave  way,  and  many  a  morn 
succeeded  " — but  at  last  we  got  to  Havana  where  we  put  in  for 
medicines — we  were  out  of  nearly  everything.  The  authorities 
at  Havana  treated  us  in  the  handsomest  manner.  We  were 
put  in  quarantine,  of  course,  but  supplies  of  every  kind  were 
sent  us — among  other  things  ice  ! 

I  have  always  been  fond  of  music — in  fact  I  may  say  I  have 
an  ear  for  music — in  my  youth  I  had  heard  the  wonderful  Clara 
Novello,  and  since  then  I  have  listened  to  the  melodious  tones 
of  the  divine  Patti ;  but  no  music  ever  equalled  in  my  ears  the 
rattling  of  the  ice  on  a  large  platter  which  the  hospital  steward 
carried  round  to  the  sick  that  morning,  and  for  which  I  lay  in 
my  hammock  awaiting  my  turn! 

We  remained  in  Havana  but  twenty-four  hours,  and  as  soon 
as  we  got  outside  the  harbor  we  hove  to,  and  buried  Captain 
Alvin  Edson  of  the  Marines  and  two  of  his  guard  \vith  him. 
We  lost  on  the  passage  Captain  Edson,  Midshipman  Storer, 
the  purser's  clerk,  the  purser's  steward  and  a  good  many 
men — the  exact  number  I  do  not  know.  We  arrived  at  Nor 
folk  the  latter  part  of  July,  and  the  Potomac,  with  my  old 
messmates,  arrived  the  very  same  day.  There  was  no  fever 
on  board  the  Potomac ;  so,  as  they  said,  if  I  had  not  left  her  I 
would  not  have  had  the  yellow  fever  a  second  time — but  then 
again  I  would  not  have  been  on  the  famous  Tobasco  ex 
pedition. 

Captain  Forrest  ran  the  Raritan  up  to  the  town  and  anchored 
off  the  naval  hospital ;  the  sick  were  immediately  landed,  the 
remainder  of  the  officers,  and  crew  granted  leave  of  absence 
and  discharged,  and  the  ship  was  taken  down  and  an 
chored  oif  Craney  Island.  The  fever  did  not  spread,  and  I 


116       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

never  heard  that  a  case  occurred  in  Norfolk  or  Portsmouth 
this  summer.  But  if  men  had  been  put  to  work  on  the 
Raritan  breaking  out  her  holds,  etc.,  it  might  have  been 
different ;  for  that  the  steamer  Ben  Franklin  carried  the  yel 
low  fever  to  those  cities  in  1855  is  "  as  true  as  taxes,"  as  Mr. 
Barkis  says. 

As  soon  as  I  obtained  my  leave  of  absence  I  started  for 
Boston.  I  had  had  my  head  shaved,  was  as  yellow  as  gold, 
and  weighed  about  ninety  pounds,  and  to  crown  all  my  tailor 
made  my  clothes  too  small.  Smike  himself  did  not  present  a 
more  ridiculous  appearance. 

Upon  my  arrival  at  Boston  I  got  into  an  hotel  coach  which 
had  many  other  passengers  in  it ;  the  driver  said  he  would 
drive  them  to  their  several  destinations  in  Boston  and  then 
take  me  to  the  Charlestown  Navy  Yard,  which  my  father  com 
manded.  One  young  man  would  not  get  out  at  the  Lowell 
depot,  but  said  he  would  wait.  The  driver  told  him  that  if  he 
Avent  to  Charlestown  he  would  miss  his  train :  still  he  persisted 
that  he  would  wait ;  and  I  saw  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  see  the  last  of  me.  I  oould  not  understand  his  behavior  at 
the  time,  but  I  knew  afterwards.  He  thought  I  was  being 
taken  to  the  penitentiary,  which  is  located  in  Charlestown ! 

During  the  summer  I  remained  "  on  leave  "  and  my  physi 
cian  tried  to  "  build  me  up,"  for  in  the  autumn  I  was  to  go  to 
Annapolis  to  prepare  for  that  grand  climacteric  of  a  Middy's 
life,  his  examination  for  the  grade  of  Passed  Midshipman. 


ORDERED  TO  ANNAPOLIS.  H7 


CHAPTER  XL 

ORDERED  TO  ANNAPOLIS— THE  NAVAL  SCHOOL  OF  1847— CAPTAIN  GEORGE 
P.  UPSHUR— DUELS— THE  BATTLE  GROUND  OF  BLADENSBURG— PROFES 
SOR  WILLIAM  CHAUVENET — SWAPPING  YARNS — PAT  MURPHY  AND  THE 
COON  SKINS — CAPTAIN  x'S  DILEMMA — COMMODORE  CHAUNCEY — A  PRE 
CISE  MESSAGE — A  SAILOR'S  TESTIMONY— VAN  NESS  PHILIP'S  VISIT  TO 

v  TROY — THOMPSONIAN  TREATMENT — MAD  JACK  PERCIVAL — PASS  MY  EX 
AMINATION — A  BAD  QUARTER  OF  AN  HOUR  ON  BOARD  THE  "  BAY  STATE  " 
— A  FRIEND  IN  NEED — HARD  WORK  AT  THE  BOSTON  NAVY  YARD. 

I  REPORTED  for  duty  at  the  Naval  School,  Annapolis,  in  Sep 
tember,  1847.  The  school  had  been  established  here  in  1845 
by  the  Hon.  George  Bancroft,  then  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
Previous  to  that  time  the  school  was  held  at  the  Naval  Asylum, 
Philadelphia.  The  first  class  to  graduate  at  Annapolis  was 
that  of  the  midshipmen  of  the  date  of  1840 — the  class  gradua 
ted  in  July,  1846.  The  class  of  1841  was  very  large,  and 
when  the  time  came  for  it  to  report  at  Annapolis  we  were  in 
the  midst  of  the  Metftcan  war,  so  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
decided  to  divide  it  into  two  parts — all  those  appointed  be 
tween  January  and  July,  1841,  joined  the  school  in  the  fall  of 
1846  and  graduated  in  1847  ;  and  the  other  part,  to  which  I 
belonged,  went  there  in  the  fall  of  1847  and  passed  in  1848. 
The  class  was  the  largest  ever  appointed  in  the  navy,  number 
ing  245  I  believe,  and  owing  to  various  causes  there  remained 
some  forty  who  went  to  the  school  in  1848  and  passed  in  1849. 
It  was  not  until  the  three  divisions  had  passed  that  the  "  num 
bers"  were  assigned.  At  the  time  I  joined  the  school  it  pre 
sented  a  far  different  appearance  from  what  it  does  at  the 
present  time.  The  place  had  been  known  as  Fort  Severn  and 
was  transferred  to  the  navy  by  the  War  Department  March 
15,  1845.  The  fort  was  built  in  1808  and  mounted  a  few  24 


118      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

pounders  en  barbette,  at  which  we  were  drilled.  Near  the 
water's  edge  six  32  pounder  guns  were  mounted  on  a  platform 
built  to  represent  a  section  of  a  ship's  deck,  and  we  were  also 
exercised  at  these  guns.  The  walls  enclosed  but  nine  acres  in 
all  and  the  professors  and  midshipmen  used  the  buildings  left 
by  the  army.  There  was  not  a  new  building  on  the  grounds. 
The  large  barrack-rooms  were  used  as  recitation  rooms  and 
quarters.  Two  small  gun-houses  were  turned  into  quarters  also. 
We  called  them  "  Brandywine  Cottage,"  and  the  "Abbey ;" 
the  long  barracks  were  called  "Apollo  Row"  and  "  Rowdy 
Hall."  The  curriculum  embraced  gunnery,  infantry  tactics, 
steam,  mathematics,  navigation  and  nautical  astronomy,  natu 
ral  philosophy,  chemistry,  English  grammar  and  French — 
seamanship  the  midshipmen  wrere  supposed  to  be  prepared  in 
and  there  were  no  vessels  attached  to  the  school.  Commander 
George  P.  Upshur  was  the  superintendent;  having  just  re 
lieved  Commander  Franklin  Buchanan,  to  whom  is  due  the 
honor  of  having  organized  the  school.  Professor  William 
Chauvenet  taught  mathematics,  nautical  astronomy  and  naviga 
tion  ;  Professor  H.  H.  Lockwood,  gunnery,  steam,  infantry 
tactics  and  natural  philosophy ;  Professor  Arsene  N.  Girault, 
French ;  Dr.  John  A.  Lockwood,  chemistry ;  and  Chaplain 
George  Jones,  English  grammar.  Captain  Upshur  was  assisted 
in  his  executive  duties  by  Lieutenant  Sidney  Smith  Lee.  The 
instruction  in  mathematics,  nautical  astronomy  and  navigation 
was  very  good,  and  that  in  natural  philosophy,  French,  gun 
nery  and  steam  was  fair.  The  chemistry,  English  grammar 
and  infantry  tactics  we  paid  but  little  attention  to ;  the  two 
last  were  taught  only  on  Saturday  and  we  made  quite  a  farce 
of  the  recitations. 

In  the  spring  of  1848  Mr.  Copeland,  a  distinguished  engineer 
of  New  York,  gave  us  some  interesting  lectures  on  steam  ;  and 
about  the  same  time  Lieutenant  Dahlgren  (afterwards  a  rear 
admiral)  drilled  us  a  few  times  at  the  guns,  and  gave  us  some 
practical  instruction  in  filling  shells,  driving  fuses,  etc.  There 
were  about  one  hundred  men  in  the  class,  and  as  we  had  all 


CAPTAIN  GEORGE  P.  UPSHUR.  119 

been  to  sea  for  six  years  I  fear  we  gave  our  good  superin 
tendent  much  trouble. 

There  have  been  stricter  disciplinarians  than  Captain  Up- 
shur  at  the  naval  school,  but  never  a  more  honorable, 
high-toned  gentleman  than  he ;  and  I  doubt  if  any  young 
man  was  ever  thrown  in  his  company  without  being  the  better 
for  it — for  my  own  part  I  have  never  ceased  to  remember  his 
gentle  manner,  his  high  honor,  his  pure  character  and  unex 
ceptionable  life.  If  example  counts  for  anything  we  had  it 
before  us  in  him,  and  if  we  did  not  profit  by  it  it  was  our  own 
loss.  As  a  rule  we  studied  hard — the  class  was  so  large  that 
many  were  struggling  for  the  first  honor — for  to  be  the  "  num 
ber  one  "  of  the  41's  was  almost  equal  to  a  patent  of  nobility  in 
our  estimation. 

The  Hon.  John  Y.  Mason  was  the  secretary  of  the  navy  at 
this  time.  In  many  points  he  resembled  Captain  Upshur — 
they  were  both  Virginians.  As  might  be  expected  of  so  large 
a  number  of  young  men  assembled  together  we  gave  the 
citizens  of  the  quiet  old  town  something  to  talk  of:  the  noc 
turnal  revels  of  the  "  Owls  "  and  the  "  Crickets ; "  the  "  Corn 
Hill  Kiot,"  etc.,  rather  surprised  these  staid  old  gentlemen ; 
but  take  it  all  in  all  there  was  not  much  disturbance  created. 

Two  duels  were  fought  during  the  session.  The  first  one  was 
fought  inside  the  walls  of  the  school;  the  parties  left  the  supper- 
table  in  advance  of  their  classmates,  and  going  behind  the 
ten-pin  alley  in  a  few  minutes  one  of  the  principals  had  a  ball 
in  his  hip,  and  the  "  affair  "  was  over.  When  he  was  carried 
to  his  room  Doctor  Lockwood  was  sent  for  and  it  was  intended 
to  pass  it  off  as  the  result  of  an  accident.  The  doctor  silently 
probed  the  wound,  and  then  suddenly  said :  "  What  distance  ?  " 
"  Ten  paces  "  replied  two  or  three  Middies  without  pausing  to 
think.  A  short  time  after  this  another  duel  was  fought  at 
Bladensburg  and  one  of  the  party  was  wounded  in  the  hip  as 
before.  The  secretary  of  the  navy  was  very  indignant  at 
these  affairs ;  the  impudence  of  the  parties  in  the  first  case  in 
selecting  the  grounds  of  the  school  for  fighting  was  what  he 


120      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

said  he  "  could  not  get  over."  All  the  parties  engaged — seconds 
as  well  as  principals— were  dismissed  the  service  by  President 
Polk.  About  three  years  after  they  were  re-instated  by  Presi 
dent  Taylor.  Only  two  of  the  principals  chose  to  return  to 
the  navy ;  they  were  the  ones  who  had  been  wounded,  and 
are  at  present  commodores  in  the  navy.  The  seconds  are  all 
dead.  If  these  duels  had  both  been  fought  at  Bladensburg  I 
think  the  Department  would  have  overlooked  them.  I  know 
Captain  Upshur  would  have  "  winked  "  at  them  ;  for  though 
no  duelist  he  did  when  a  passed  midshipman  resign  to  fight 
his  first  lieutenant ;  but  the  commodore  would  not  accept  his 
resignation.  Bladensburg  has  been  a  duelling  ground  since 
the  "Bladensburg  races,"  as  the  battle  fought  in  1814  is 
facetiously  called.  A  Washington  poet  celebrated  this  battle 
in  the  following  lines  : 

THE  BATTLE  GROUND. 

"And  here  two  thousand  fought,  three  hundred  fell, 

And  fifteen  thousand  fled  ;    of  these  remain 

The  three  where  Barney  laid  them,  — they  sleep  well. 

Of  the  fifteen,  part  live  to  run  again, 

And  part  have  died  of  fever  on  the  brain, 

Potions  and  pills — fell  agents — but  the  worst, 

As  Sewell  in  his  pamphlet  proves  is  thirst. 

And  General  Winder,  I  believe,  is  dead, 

And  General  ( )  retired  to  learned  ease, 

Posting  a  ledger.    He  has  exchanged  the  bed 

Of  fame  for  one  of  feathers,  and  the  fees 

Of  war  for  those  of  trade :    and,  where  the  trees 

Shook  at  his  voice,  all's  still,  as  ere  began 

The  fight;    for,  when  it  did,  they  cheered,  and — ran. 

All,  save  old  Handspike  and  his  crew — they  stood 
Drawn  up,  one  coolly  buttoning  his  breeches, 
Another  his  cheek  helping  to  a  quid 
Of  purser's  pigtail.     No  long  windy  speeches — 
For  valor,  like  a  bishop,  seldom  preaches — 
They  stood  like  men  prepared  to  do  their  duty, 
And  fell  as  they  had  done  it — red  and  smutty. 


PROFESSOR  WILLIAM  CHAUVENET.  121 

Peace  to  them !  men  I  still  have  found 

Though  sadly  looked  on  by  us  land-bred  people, 

High-souled,  warm-hearted — true,  it  must  be  owned, 

They've  no  great  predilection  for  a  steeple, 

And  too  much  for  a  bottle.     But  the  ground 

Strongest  in  tares  is  so  in  wheat;    the  sod 

May  flower  as  here,  whose  very  earth  is  blood." 

But  to  return  to  the  naval  school.  To  Professor  William 
Chauvenet  is  due  more  credit  for  its  establishment  than  to  any 
other  man.  Appointed  a  professor  in  the  navy  in  1841  he 
went  to  sea  in  the  Mississippi,  and  here  very  soon .  discovered 
the  defects  in  the  method  of  instructing  the  midshipmen  as 
pursued  at  that  day.  He  was  soon  after  sent  to  the  Naval 
Asylum  in  Philadelphia  to  take  charge  of  the  school  there, 
and  from  that  time  he  applied  himself  to  the  task  of  establish 
ing  a  school  more  fitted  to  the  wants  of  the  navy.  He  saw 
from  the  beginning  that  such  an  institution  must  be  a  growth 
and  not  a  creation.  He  remained  in  the  navy  until  1859 
when  he  resigned  to  accept  a  professorship  in  Washington 
University,  St.  Louis.  In  1862  he  was  chosen  chancellor  of 
the  university.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  resignation  he  was  the 
life  of  the  naval  school.  He  was,  next  to  Professor  Peirce  of 
Harvard,  the  best  mathematician  in  the  country,  and  as  an  in 
structor  he  stood  second  to  none.  He  left  the  navy  because 
his  salary  was  too  small  for  him  to  support  and  educate  his 
family.  A  miserable  economy  on  the  part  of  the  Government 
permitted  him  to  leave  without  an  effort  to  retain  him.  Pro 
fessor  Chauvenet  died  in  1870 ;  but  he  lived  long  enough  to 
see  the  naval  school  attain  the  growth  he  always  predicted  for 
it,  and  to  achieve  which  he  gave  eighteen  years  of  his  life. 

It  was  our  custom  to  meet  on  Saturday  nights  and  hold  what 
Van  Ness  Philip  called  "  reformed  banquets."  Coming  from 
different  stations  we  were  in  the  habit  on  these  occasions  of 
"  swapping  yarns ;"  and  although  I  never  wrote  them  in  my 
journal,  as  Brown  did,  yet  many  remain  in  my  memory,  and 
some  few  I  will  relate. 
6 


122       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

A  mid  who  had  served  on  board  the  Pennsylvania,  lying  off 
the  Norfolk  navy  yard,  said  that  one  morning  at  sunrise  an 
old  darky  who  had  come  down  through  the  Dismal  Swamp 
canal  in  a  canoe  came  close  to  the  ship,  and  seeing  a  man 
standing  in  the  gangway,  inquired :  "  Is  Master  Pat  Murphy 
on  board  dar  ?"  "  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  what  do  you  want 
with  him  ?"  "  Missis  sent  him  a  peck  of  sweets  and  a  couple 
of  coon  skins,"  said  the  old  man.  Another  story  was  of  Cap 
tain  Arthur  X.  It  seems  that  his  friends  got  him  the  com 
mand  of  a  brig  upon  condition  that  he  would  take  no  liquor  to 
sea  with  him  in  his  cabin — he  being  somewhat  addicted  to  it. 
After  being  at  sea  a  week  or  two  the  captain  felt  an  inordinate 
desire  for  a  drink.  In  that  day  the  ration  of  grog  was  served 
to  the  men  on  the  upper  deck  in  small  vessels.  At  12  o'clock 
the  grog  tub  was  brought  up,  and  the  captain,  after  passing 
it  several  times,  walked  up  to  the  purser's  steward  and  said : 
"  What's  this  complaint  I  hear  of  the  ship's  whiskey  ?"  "  Give 
me  a  tot ;"  he  drank  it  with  gusto,  and  remarked :  "  It's  as 
good  whiskey  as  ever  I  drank ;  let  me  hear  no  more  complaints." 
It  is  needless  to  say  there  had  been  none. 

Old  Commodore  Chauncey  commanded  the  New  York  navy 
yard  at  the  time  when  there  was  "  no  law  for  post  captains." 
One  Sunday  in  the  chapel  of  the  yard  the  chaplain  read  a 
notice  which  he  said  wras  by  order  of  the  bishop  of  the  diocese : 
"  By  whose  order  did  you  say  ?"  inquired  the  commodore, 
standing  up :  "  By  order  of  the  bishop  of  the  diocese,"  mildly 
replied  the  chaplain.  "  Well,  the  notice  will  not  be  obeyed," 
said  old  Chauncey :  "  I'll  let  you  know  that  I  am  the  bishop  of 
this  diocese." 

One  of  our  classmates  was  very  precise  and  it  was  told  of 
him  that  being  directed  by  the  lieutenant  of  the  watch  to  re 
port  to  the  captain  that  "  there  was  a  sail  in  sight,"  he  did  so  in 
these  terms  :  "  Captain  P.  the  officer  of  the  deck  desires  me 
to  inform  you  that  'there  is  visible  on  the  extreme  verge  of 
the  sensible  horizon  a  small  speck,  which  he  conceives  to  be  a 


A  SAILORS  TESTIMONY.  123 

Discussing  sailors  one  day  the  opinion  was  expressed  that 
a  man-of-war's  man  would  not  tell  the  truth  if  his  interests  or 
desires  lay  the  other  way:  and  no  amount  of  "swearing" 
would  make  him  do  it;  in  illustration  of  which  a  story  was 
told  concerning  one  Passed  Midshipman  C.  He  had  been  on 
shore  from  his  ship  in  some  port  of  the  Mediterranean  and 
upon  his  return  to  his  boat,  lying  at  the  mole,  was  intoxicated. 
Here  he  happened  to  fall  in  with  an  English  chaplain  who 
was  waiting  for  a  boat  to  take  him  to  his  ship,  and  after  some 
words  C.  knocked  him  overboard.  A  shore  boat  picked  the 
unfortunate  man  up  and  took  him  to  his  vessel.  C.  was  too 
drunk  to  know  what  he  was  about.  The  fact  coming  to  the 
ears  of  the  commodore  he  promptly  brought  C.  to  a  court- 
martial,  and,  as  the  chaplain  generously  declined  to  appear  as 
a  witness,  the  judge  advocate  had  to  rely  upon  the  boat's  crew 
to  make  out  his  case.  The  first  witness  testified  "  that  Mr.  C. 
was  down  on  the  mole  when  he  saw  the  chaplain  approaching 
in  an  intoxicated  condition.  The  chaplain  walked  up  to  Mr. 
C.,  and  in  making  a  pass  at  him,  he  fell  overboard."  This 
was  the  coxswain's  testimony  and  the  remainder  of  the  boat's 
crew  swore  to  the  same  effect.  Of  course  C.  was  acquitted, 
and  equally  of  course  he  made  the  amende  honorable  to  the 
chaplain. 

This  C.  was  a  very  humorous  fellowr,  though  he  would 
"  crook  his  elbow."  Being  at  the  old  Bowery  theatre  one 
night — in  that  happy  condition  when  "  another  glass  of  claret 
would  spoil  him  " — he  went  in  front  of  the  curtain  and  gave 
out  the  following  announcement :  "  Gentlemen  and  ladies,  to 
morrow  night  will  be  performed  the  drama  entitled,  '  The 
babes  and  the  woods  ; '  Babes,  Mr.  Brown ;  Woods,  Mr.  C. ; 
to  be  followed  by  the  roaring  farce  called  '  Moses  and  the 
bulrushes  : '  Moses,  Mr.  C. ;  Bulrushes  by  the  troop.' 

Mr.  C.'s  sailors  may  or  may  not  have  given  the  testimony 
attributed  to  them  ;  but  I  have  often  noticed  their  great  objec 
tion  to  appearing  before  a  court  as  a  witness.  They  seem  to 
have  some  extraordinary  superstition  in  regard  to  their  "  com- 


124      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

mitting  themselves  "  as  they  call  it.     Old  Junius  B as  a 

witness  in  a  case  of  assault  and  battery  once  testified  that  he 
"  saw  the  accused  give  the  accuser  several  kicks,  or,"  he  cau 
tiously  added,  "  words  to  that  effect." 

Midshipman  Van  Ness  Philip  used  to  tell  a  very  good 
story  on  himself:  He  once  carried  his  niece  to  Troy  and  en 
tered  her  at  Mrs.  Willard's  famous  school.  He  was  invited  to 
attend  a  party  at  Mrs.  Willard's  the  same  evening  and  re 
mained  in  town  to  accept  it.  Philip  enjoyed  a  joke  more 
than  most  men,  and  during  the  day  he  came  across  a  conun 
drum  which  amused  him  much.  It  was:  "What  is  the 
difference  between  Tom  Thumb  and  Queen  Elizabeth?" 
The  answer  was :  "  He  is  a  wonder  and  she  was  a  Tudor." 
He  said  that  when  he  attended  the  party  that  night  this 
abominable  conundrum  kept  running  in  his  thoughts  and 
he  was  dying  to  ask  it ;  but  he  did  not  know  a  soul  in  the 
room  save  Mrs.  Willard.  After  awhile,  however  he  seized 
an  opportunity  and  propounded  it  to  her.  It  seems  the 
old  lady  was  somewhat  deaf,  and  after  Philip  had  asked 
it  she  said:  "What  did  you  say,  sir?"  Philip  repeated  the 
conundrum  in  rather  a  loud  voice,  and  as  this  drew  the  atten 
tion  of  all  in  the  room  he  said  he  began  to  get  pretty  red  in 
the  face.  "Ah!"  said  Mrs.  W.,  "what  is  the  difference  be 
tween  Queen  Elizabeth — and  whom  did  you  say,  sir  ?  "  "  Tom 
Thumb"  roared  Philip  in  a  stentorian  voice  and  much  to  the 
astonishment  of  the  company  assembled.  Of  course  Mrs.  W. 
gave  it  up,  and  Philip  had  to  repeat  the  answer  several  times 
in  a  loud  voice  and  was  then  doubtful  whether  the  old  lady 
"took."  He  said  he  left  the  party  as  soon  after  as  possi 
ble  and  determined  never  to  ask  a  conundrum  unless  sure 
of  his  listener. 

One  of  our  fellows  told  a  yarn  concerning  the  "  practice  "  of 
a  merchant  captain  who  treated  his  crew  by  the  Thompsonian 
method,  in  which  all  the  medicines  were  marked  from  number 
one  to  ten.  On  one  occasion  a  man  complained  of  being  unwell 
and  the  captain  judged  he  required  the  medicine  marked 


MAI}  JACK  PERCIVAL.  125 

number  six ;  but  on  looking  in  the  medicine  chest  he  found 
that  he  was  out  of  number  six,  so  he  gave  the  man  two  threes. 

Many  of  our  stories  were  of  the  captains  we  had  sailed  with, 
and  old  Captain  Percival,  or  mad  Jack,  as  the  sailors  called 
him,  came  in  for  his  share.  Captain  Jack  was  eccentric,  but  he 
always  took  a  fatherly  interest  in  his  midshipmen.  He  wrote 
once  to  the  father  of  one  of  them  that  his  son  had  entered  a 
profession  "  where  he  would  either  go  down  to  his  grave  wept, 
honored  and  sung,  or  unwept,  unhonored  and  unsung.  A  few 
days  after,  he  got  angry  with  the  young  man  and  at  once  sat 
down  and  wrote  to  his  father :  "  Dear  Sir — Your  son  is  going 
down  to  his  grave  unwept,  unhonored  and  unsung." 

Captain  Jack  being  upon  a  board  for  the  examination  of 
midshipmen  announced  the  passing  of  one  of  them  to  his 
father  (who  was  a  commodore  in  the  Navy)  in  the  following 
delicate  way : 

"Dear  X — Your  son  has  passed.  Do  you  recollect  our 
taking  the  Columbus  out  of  dock?  She  just  grazed. — Yours 
truly,  PERCIVAL." 

But  this  is  a  digression.  "  When  to  the  sessions  of  sweet 
silent  thought  I  summon  up  remembrance  of  things  past,"  I 
get  off  the  regular  track  as  it  were. 

The  Board  of  Examiners,  consisting  of  Commodores  Morgan, 
Wyman,  Mayo,  Dulany  and  Gwinn  assembled  in  Annapolis 
in  June,  1848,  and  in  July  I  passed  my  examination  and  be 
came  a  passed  midshipman,  eligible  to  promotion  to  all  grades 
above  it  and  entitled  to  wear  a  star  on  my  collar  to  back  the 
anchor  already  wrorn  there.  I  could  bring  in  a  great  many 
elegant  quotations  here  in  relation  to  stars,  but  I'll  "  pass." 
Upon  passing  my  examination  I  received  orders  to  the  Boston 
navy  yard  and  upon  getting  as  far  as  New  York  on  my  way 
there  found  myself  short  of  funds.  There  was  nothing  re 
markable  in  this,  because  I  generally  got  home  in  that  con 
dition.  Upon  going  to  Brooklyn  and  applying  to  a  friend 
for  a  loan,  he  informed  me  that  he  was  going  to  Boston 


1-2Q       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


that  afternoon  and  would  meet  me  on  the  boat,  pay  all  my  ex 
penses,  &c.  I  gave  myself  no  further  trouble  and  at  5  o'clock 
went  down  to  the  Bay  State,  Captain  Brown,  of  the  Fall  river 
line.  Having  some  small  change  I  bought  the  evening  papers 
and  a  magazine  or  two  and  ensconced  myself  comfortably  on 
the  hurricane  deck  which  was  crowded  with  ladies  and  gen 
tlemen  on  their  way  to  Newport — it  being  the  height  of  the 
season  there.  As  the  boat  shoved  off  I  happened  to  look  up 
and  words  cannot  express  my  dismay  when  I  saw  my  friend 
standing  on  the  wharf  carpet  bag  in  hand,  left !  My  first  feel 
ing  was  that  of  anger  that  he  should  have  allowed  himself  to 
be  left  under  the  circumstances,  and  I  felt  a  diabolical  desire 
for  a  rifle  that  I  might  put  a  bullet  in  his  block  of  a  head ; 
but  that  soon  gave  way  to  despair  and  I  felt  in  a  moment  that 
the  ladies  all  knew  I  had  no  money!  What  to  do  was  the 
question ;  the  fare  was  five  dollars,  and  I  had  but  one. 

Now  the  Bay  State  had  been  repaired  in  the  dock  of  the 
Boston  navy  yard  a  short  time  before  this  and  my  father 
having  extended  some  civilities  to  Captain  Brown,  he  (the 
captain)  had  since  been  especially  polite  and  hospitable  to  him 
and  his  family.  I  had  heard  of  this,  and  though  I  had  no 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  captain,  I  resolved  to  make 
myself  known  to  him  and  explain  my  peculiar  (or  pecuniary) 
condition  ;  so  I  went  to  the  purser's  office  and  asked  to  see  the 
captain.  "  He  is  in  the  pilot  house,"  said  the  purser ;  "  won't 
I  do  ?"  (I'm  sure  the  rascal  suspected  my  impecunious  state). 
"  No,"  I  answered,  "  I  wish  to  see  Captain  Brown,"  and  I  went 
to  the  pilot  house. 

One  of  the  waiters  pointed  out  the  captain.  He  was  a  stout 
man,  with  a  white  beaver  on  the  side  of  his  head,  and  as  he 
stood  talking  with  a  number  of  gentlemen  to  save  my  life  I 
could  not  introduce  myself  and  break  the  subject  to  him ;  so  I 
walked  aft.  The  confounded  negro  rang  his  bell  and  requested 
the  passengers  to  "  call  at  the  purser's  office  and  settle"  oftener 
than  I  had  ever  known  him  to  do  before.  Not  feeling  able  to 
remain  on  the  hurricane  deck  where  I  felt  that  all  hands  knew 


THE  BOSTON  NA  VY  YARD.  127 

I  was  short  of  funds  I  went  down  on  the  main  deck.  I  had 
no  sooner  gotten  there  than  I  saw  the  mate  belaboring  a  shabby- 
genteel  man,  and  upon  my  interfering  and  inquiring  as  to  the 
cause  of  such  harsh  treatment  the  mate  said :  "  Well,  sir,  this 
man  has  no  money" — (just  my  case  thought  I) — "  and  he  knows 
we  cannot  put  him  on  shore  until  we  get  to  Newport :  We 
have  many  such  stowaways,"  he  continued.  Well !  to  make  a 
long  story  short,  while  I  was  deliberating  whether  to  make 
another  attempt  to  see  Captain  Brown,  or  jump  overboard,  I 
was  accosted  by  a  young  man  who  seemed  to  know  me  well ; 
he  said  he  had  been  on  board  the  Ohio  with  me  in  1842.  He 
informed  me  that  he  had  just  returned  from  a  cruise  in  the 
Albany,  where  he  had  served  as  captain's  clerk,  and  had  just 
been  paid  off.  These  words  sounded  well,  and  as  soon  as  he 
got  through  his  story,  I  told  mine.  I  will  never  forget  the  joy 
with  which  he  pulled  out  a  handful  of  bank-notes  and  thrust 
them  upon  me.  He  wanted  me  to  take  a  hundred  dollars,  but 
I  only  took  twenty  which  I  put  in  my  pocket  and  became  "  a 
man  again." 

I  saw  this  gentleman  the  following  day  in  Boston  at  the  old 
United  States  hotel  and  returned  the  loan.  I  have  never  been 
able  to  recall  his  name,  nor  have  -I  any  recollection  of  his  being 
with  me  on  board  the  Ohio.  I  have  never  met  him  since.  I 
have  always  believed  that  he  was  in  some  humble  position  on 
board  the  Ohio  and  that  I  had  done  him  a  service  of  some 
peculiar  kind ;  for  he  could  not  have  been  kinder  if  he  had 
been  my  own  brother ;  and,  as  I  have  said,  it  seemed  to  be  a 
real  joy  to  him  to  be  able  to  assist  me.  Even  Macaulay's 
"  schoolboy  "  can  see  the  moral  of  this  story. 

I  remained  attached  to  the  navy  yard  in  Boston  about  two 
months  and  cannot  say  I  rendered  any  material  service  to  the 
Government  in  that  time.  In  fact  there  seemed  to  be  no  scope 
for  a  young  man  of  my  transcendent  ability.  I  was  a  passed 
midshipman,  and  consequently  a  "  gnostic ;"  moreover  I  was  a 
41,  and  wre  41's  did  not  hold  ourselves  cheap,  I  assure  you.  It 
rather  surprised  me  to  see  everything  going  on  all  right  with- 


128       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

out  my  assistance,  but  so  it  was.  I  was  zealous  enough,  but 
for  the  life  of  me  I  never  could  find  anything  to  do.  One  day 
the  executive  officer,  Lieutenant  Timothy  Hunt,  tired  I  sup 
pose  of  seeing  me  "  standing  about  "  told  me  to  see  what  Lieu 
tenant  Handy  was  doing,  and  to  help  him.  I  called  upon 
Lieutenant  H.  and  asked  him  what  he  was  doing ;  he  replied  : 
"  nothing ;"  "  well,"  said  I,  "  I've  come  to  help  you."  This 
was  all  the  duty  I  remember  to  have  done  at  the  yard. 


ORDERED  TO  SLOOP-OF-WAR  YORKTOWN.     129 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ORDERED  TO  THE  SLOOP-OF-WAR  "YORKTOWN  " — SAIL  FROM  BOSTON — ARRI 
VAL  AT  PORTO  PRAYA— FIRST  CRUISE  ON  THE  COAST  OF  AFRICA— THE 
GAMBIA  RIVER — MONROVIA — BATTLE  BETWEEN  THE  LIBERIANS  AND 
NATIVES — PRESIDENT  ROBERTS — A  CRUISE  TO  WINDWARD— CADIZ,  FUN- 
CHAL,  TENERIFFE,  PALMAS — PORTO  PRAYA  AGAIN — AN  OLD  CITY — 
RIDING  OUT  A  GALE  ON  A  LEE  SHORE — RESCUE  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
BRIG  "  COPPERTHWAITE.  " 

IN  September  of  this  year  I  was  ordered  to  the  frigate  Con 
stitution,  fitting  out  at  the  Boston  navy  yard  for  the  Mediter 
ranean  ;  but  the  ship  was  largely  stocked  with  passed  and 
other  midshipmen  and  not  wishing  to  pass  another  cruise  on 
the  forecastle  or  quarter  deck  carrying  messages  and  calling 
the  "  relief,"  I  applied  to  have  my  orders  changed  to  the  York- 
town,  a  sloop-of-war  fitting  out  for  the  coast  of  Africa.  The 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  granted  my  request  and  remarked  that 
he  expected  I  was  the  only  officer  who  had  preferred  a  sloop- 
of-war  on  the  coast  of  Africa  to  a  fine  frigate  in  the  Mediter 
ranean  ;  but  I  was  looking  forward  to  promotion  and  a 
"  watch,"  and  I  got  it. 

The  Yorktown  was  a  third-class  sloop-of-war  of  560  tons, 
and  carried  a  battery  of  sixteen  32-pounders  of  27  cwt. 
She  was  a  staunch  little  craft  and  a  good  sea-boat.  We  went 
into  commission  in  October,  Captain  John  Marston.  The 
other  officers  were :  Lieutenants,  Rootes,  Spottswood,  Frailey 
and  Fleming;  Sailing  Master,  Caldwell ;  Purser,  Semple ;  Sur 
geon,  Fox ;  Passed  Assistant  Surgeon,  Potter ;  Passed  Mid 
shipmen,  Coleman,  Seawell,  Selden  and  Parker ;  Midshipmen, 
Bruce,  J.  Parker,  Fyffe  and  Means ;  Boatswain,  Young ;  Gun 
ner,  Oliver;  Sailmaker,  Frankland,  and  Carpenter,  Mager. 
nior  lieutenant  left  us  as  soon  as  we  got  on  the  station, 
6* 


130      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

and  the  passed  midshipmen  were  promoted  to  fill  vacancies ; 
otherwise  there  wrere  absolutely  no  changes  in  our  officers,  which 
in  a  two  years'  cruise  is  rather  remarkable,  especially  on  what 
is  called  a  sickly  station.  We  had  a  very  fine  crew  and  num 
bered  in  all  150  souls.  Commodore  Benjamin  Cooper  took  pas 
sage  with  us ;  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  Commodore  Bolton 
in  the  command  of  the  African  squadron  and  intended  to  hoist 
his  flag  on  board  the  Portsmouth,  a  very  fine  first-class  sloop. 

I  do  not  propose  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  cruise. 
A  two  years'  stay  on  the  African  coast  does  not,  as  a  general 
thing,  present  much  variety  of  incident.  The  object  of  keep 
ing  vessels  on  the  coast  was  to  capture  slavers  and  protect 
our  own  lawful  traders.  The  English  and  American  Gov 
ernments  kept  squadrons  of  a  certain  number  of  guns  in  ac 
cordance  with  a  special  agreement  or  treaty — (since  abrogated). 
The  English  took  many  slavers  but  our  vessels,  being  bound 
by  our  interpretation  of  the  "  right  of  search  "  took  very  few 
indeed.  The  explorations  of  Livingstone,  Burton,  Stanley  and 
others  have  added  very  much  to  our  knowledge  of  Africa  in 
the  last  thirty  years ;  and  the  introduction  of  steam-packets 
along  the  coast  has  no  doubt  made  the  aspect  of  it  very  dif 
ferent  from  what  I  remember  it  in  1848-9-50. 

We  sailed  from  Boston  November  22, 1848,  and  had  a  very 
rough  passage  across  the  Atlantic.  I  had  been  in  heavy  gales 
in  the  Gulf  of  Lyons,  pamperos  off  Monte  Video,  and  "  north 
ers  "  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  thought  I  knew  what  bad 
weather  was ;  but  this  experience  in  the  Atlantic  on  the 
"  fortieth  parallel  "  exceeded  anything  I  had  before  dreamed 
of.  When  we  were  not  scudding  we  were  lying  to ;  and  had 
not  the  little  ship  been,  as  I  have  said,  a  very  good  sea-boat 
she  must  have  foundered.  I  have  seen  her  hove  to  with  only 
a  tarpaulin  in  the  mizen  rigging  and  not  a  rag  of  sail  on  her 
forward  rising  to  the  seas  and  not  shipping  one.  She  had  a 
way  as  Joe  Seawell  said  of  making  two  "  butts  "  at  a  sea,  and 
then  going  around  it.  For  many  days  we  in  the  steerage  did 
not  pretend  to  wear  shoes  and  stockings — everything  was  wet 


ARRIVAL  AT  PORTO  PEA  YA.  131 

for  the  steerage  was  ankle-deep  in  water.  However,  we  ar 
rived  safely  at  Madeira  and  found  the  Jamestown,  Commodore 
Bolton,  in  port.  Kemaining  but  a  few  days  we  sailed  for  the 
Cape  de  Verde  islands,  looked  in  at  Porto  Grande,  and  early 
in  January,  1849,  anchored  at  Porto  Praya.  Here  we  found 
the  Portsmouth,  and  Commodore  Cooper  transferred  his  flag 
to  her.  Lieutenant  Fleming  accompanied  him  as  "  Flag " ; 
Caldwell  was  made,  junior  lieutenant,  and  I  succeeded  him  as 
sailing  master.  After  filling  up  our  provisions  and  water  we 
sailed  to  make  the  usual  four  months'  cruise  on  the  coast. 
While  crossing  the  Atlantic  we  found  that  our  rudder-post  was 
decayed,  and  as  Porto  Praya  did  not  offer  the  facilities  re 
quired  we  went  first  to  Bathurst  on  the  Gambia  river  to 
repair  it.  The  Gambia  is  a  pretty  sheet  of  water  and  the 
appearance  of  Bathurst  is  picturesque  in  the  extreme.  It  was 
from  Pisanea  on  this  river  that  Mungo  Park  set  out  on  his  last 
expedition  to  discover  the  mouth  of  the  Niger  river,  in  1805. 
We  found  here  several  companies  of  one  of  the  English  West 
India  regiments.  These  regiments  have  white  officers,  and 
the  privates  are  recruited  from  the  captured  slaves.  All  the 
English  posts  on  the  coast  were  garrisoned  by  these  troops. 
The  officers  of  the  regiment  at  Bathurst  were  individually 
very  polite  and  hospitable ;  but  I  observed  here,  what  I  after 
wards  noticed  at  the  other  posts,  that  the  officers  did  not  agree 
well  together  and  were  split  up  into  several  small  messes.  I 
had  expected  to  see  them  a  "  band  of  brothers  " — exiles  in  a 
sickly  clime  as  they  were — but  it  was  otherwise.  Thinking  of 
this  curious  state  of  affairs  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
must  be  tjie  effect  of  the  climate ;  their  livers  get  out  of  order 
and  they  become  irritable  and  quarrelsome. 

We  put  an  iron  band  on  the  rudder-head  which  we  thought 
would  answer  temporarily  and  then  sailed  for  Monrovia.  This 
towrn'  is  situated  on  Cape  Mesurado  which  is  elevated  about 
80  feet  above  the  ocean.  The  small  river  Mesurado  enters 
the  sea  on  its  northern  side.  Monrovia  was  named  in  honor 
of  President  Monroe,  one  of  the  earliest  friends  of  the  American 


132      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

Colonization  Society,  and  is  the  capital  of  Liberia.  The  first 
settlement  was  made  in  Liberia  in  1822  ;  it  remained  under  the 
protection  of  the  Colonization  Society  until  1847  when  it  be 
came  a  free  and  independent  republic,  and  Mr.  Roberts,  for 
merly  a  slave  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  was  elected  President. 
The  republic  was  modeled  after  the  government  of  the  United 
States.  At  the  time  of  our  first  visit  the  town  of  Monrovia  was 
much  excited  at  the  probability  of  a  war  with  a  tribe  on  the 
southern  coast.  It  appears  that  some  Spaniards  (slave  dealers) 
held  possession  of  a  strip  of  coast  which  the  Liberians  claimed 
to  have  purchased  some  years  before  and  refused  to  give  it  up. 
They  had  a  factory  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sinou,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  stores,  such  as  rum,  cotton-cloths,  muskets,  pow 
der,  &c.,  &c.  on  hand  for  the  purchase  of  slaves.  It  must 
be  understood  that  the  tribes  on  the  coast  are  not  opposed 
to  the  slave  trade,  for  the  reason  that  the  "  slavers"  make 
it  a  rule  never  to  carry  them  off— the  coast  tribes  make 
war  upon  those  in  the  interior  and  all  the  slaves  they  capture 
they  sell  to  the  "  factors,"  who  put  them  in  barracoons  until  an 
opportunity  occurs  to  ship  them.  The  Spaniards,  therefore, 
felt  perfectly  safe  in  arming  the  tribe  at  Sinou  and  defying  the 
Liberians. 

Great  preparations  were  going  on  at  Monrovia,  reinforce 
ments  were  arriving  from  the  different  settlements,  and  Queen 
Anne  muskets,  second-hand  uniforms,  swords,  epaulettes,  cocked 
hats  and  top  boots  were  at  a  premium.  President  Roberts, 
a  mulatto,  (about  three  fourths  white  I  should  judge),  was 
a  man  of  character  and  some  education.  As  he  was  on 
board  the  Yorktown  a  month  or  more  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  observing  him.  He  was  very  quiet  in  his  deportment 
and  modest  withal.  We  were  of  course  full  of  curiosity  as  to 
the  object  of  the  grand  expedition  and  Roberts  being  close- 
mouthed  we  used  to  "  pump"  one  Colonel  Hicks  who  kept  the 
hotel  in  Monrovia  where  we  were  in  the  habit  of  dining  when 
on  shore.  Hicks  was  a  regular  old  time  darkey  and  very 
talkative.  Upon  one  or  two  occasions  where  tlie  Liberians  had 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  LIBERIANS  AND  NATIVES.  133 

come  in  collision  with  the  natives  Hicks  had  incontinently  fled 
— he  was  a  born  coward,  and  it  was  well  understood.  Hicks, 
however,  did  not  know  much  about  matters  although  he  was  on 
the  President's  staff.  As  he  himself  acknowledged,  upon  his 
propounding  a  few  questions  to  the  President,  he  had  replied : 
"  Colonel  Hicks  mind  your  own  business."  "  Oh !"  said  Hicks 
in  relating  this :  "  That  Roberts  is  a  smart  nigger !"  It  was 
well  for  him  that  Roberts  did  not  hear  him ! 

When  all  was  ready  the  army  under  Brigadier  General 
Lewis,  (also  a  mulatto,  and  a  former  slave  in  Virginia)  was  put 
on  board  some  small  schooners,  and  these  were  taken  in  tow 
by  a  French  steam  gunboat  which  co-operated  with  the  Libe- 
rians.  We  sailed  in  company  with  President  Roberts  on  board 
and  soon  anchored  off  Sinou.  The  force  was  landed  the  next 
morning  and  although  we  had  orders  to  take  no  part  yet  at 
the  request  of  Roberts  our  captain  consented  to  let  four  unarmed 
boats  pull  in  with  them,  for  effect.  I  went  in  charge  of  one 
and  had  a  good  view  of  the  battle. 

When  Colonel  Hicks  landed,  which  was  towards  the  last, 
he  was  a  sight  to  see,  in  his  cocked-hat,  epaulettes  and  top 
boots.  Our  purser,  an  old  acquaintance,  chaffed  him  unmer 
cifully  because  he  did  not  go  to  the  front ;  but  Hicks  did  not 
advance ;  he  "  saw  from  the  beach  when  the  morning  was 
shining  "  all  he  wanted  to  see. 

The  opposing  parties  with  their  old  fashioned  arms  kept  up 
a  heavy  fire  at  long  range  the  whole  of  the  first  day.  The 
natives  lay  hidden  in  the  woods  or  bushes  and  the  Liberians 
would  not  leave  the  sea-side.  The  second  day  the  French 
captain  thinking  he  might  be  kept  there  a  lifetime  decided  to 
take  a  hand  in  it  himself;  so  twenty  sailors  were  landed  under 
a  lieutenant,  the  woods  were  shelled  by  the  steamer,  and  with 
the  Frenchmen  in  advance  the  Liberians  advanced  into  the 
country.  Having  given  them  a  "  start "  the  Frenchmen  re 
turned  and  left  the  army  to  pursue  its  victorious  career ;  the 
enemy  retreating  up  the  country  to  the  factory  where  the 
Spaniards  had  established  their  head  quarters,  and  which  was 


134      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

General  Lewis'  objective.  After  the  Frenchmen  left,  the  ad 
vance  was  led  by  a  company  of  Congo  negroes  who  had  been 
captured  in  a  slaver  and  were  now  apprenticed  in  Monrovia. 
They  were  the  bravest  men  in  the  army.  The  Liberians  were 
absent  four  or  five  days  and  at  night  we  could  track  them  by 
the  burning  villages.  They  reached  the  factory  and  burned  it 
and  returned  to  the  beach  with  the  Spaniards  as  prisoners. 
There  was  great  rejoicing  in  all  the  land  when  the  victorious 
army  got  back  to  Monrovia.  We  had  orders  to  take  Presi 
dent  Roberts  on  board  again,  which  we  did,  and  visited 
Cape  Palmas,  Grand  Bassa,  Tradetown,  Cape  Mount  and 
other  places.  The  president  lived  in  the  cabin  and  conducted 
himself  with  much  propriety. 

We  fell  in  with  an  English  man-of-war  at  Cape  Mount  and 
as  soon  as  her  captain  saw  the  Liberian  standard  at  our  mast 
head  he  came  on  board  in  full  uniform  to  call  upon  President 
Roberts.  In  fact,  at  all  the  places  visited  he  received  the 
same  honors  as  would  have  been  extended  to  a  crowned  head. 
We  carried  Mr.  Roberts  back  to  Monrovia,  and  in  June  re 
turned  to  Porto  Praya.  Here  we  replenished  our  stores  of 
provisions  and  water  and  sailed  for  Cadiz  in  Spain.  This 
was  off  our  station  ;  but  our  rudder-post  was  in  such  bad  con 
dition  that  it  became  necessary  to  replace  it,  and  this  could  not 
be  done  at  any  port  on  the  coast.  It  may  readily  be  believed 
that  we  were  glad  to  have  so  pleasant  a  break  in  our  cruise. 
We  touched  at  Madeira  on  our  way  for  a  few  days.  We 
found  the  Portsmouth  in  port  and  Commodore  Cooper  whose 
health  had  long  been  failing  went  home  in  her.  In  a  few 
months  she  rejoined  the  squadron  bearing  the  flag  of  Commo 
dore  F.  S.  Gregory. 

We  were  in  Cadiz  some  wreeks  while  a  new  rudder-post  was 
made  for  us  at  the  dock-yard.  We  then  sailed  and  spent  the 
summer  in  visiting  Madeira,  Teneriffe  and  Palmas  ;  and  in 
October  returned  to  Port  Praya.  The  cruise  to  windward  was 
a  most  delightful  one,  and  was  of  much  service  to  us  all.  The 
merchants  of  Funchal,  Madeira,  are  famed  for  their  hospitality 


PORTO  PRAYA.  135 

and  the  people  of  Palmas,  Grand  Canary,  we  found  equally 
kind.  I  shall  have  more  to  say  of  these  islands  in  my  next 
chapter. 

Porto  Praya  is  on  the  island  of  St.  Jago,  one  of  the  Cape 
de  Verdcs.  It  is  a  small  town,  inhabited  by  a  few  Portuguese, 
half  breeds,  and  negroes ;  the  latter  constitute  the  bulk  of  the 
population.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  bluff  overlooking  the  bay 
and  is  not  particularly  unhealthy  or  warm. 

The  harbor  is  a  good  enough  one  during  the  continuance  of 
the  "  trades,"  which  blow  about  ten  months  in  the  year.  In 
the  months  of  August  and  September  heavy  gales  sometimes 
blow  from  the  southwest,  and  as  the  harbor  is  open  in  that  di 
rection  vessels  which  happen  to  be  in  the  port  must  slip  their 
cables  and  go  to  sea. 

It  was  to  Porto  Praya  that  Commodore  Charles  Stewart 
brought  his  two  prizes,  the  Cyane  and  Levant,  which  he  had 
captured  in  the  frigate  Constitution  eighteen  days  before : 
February  20th,  1815.  While  lying  there  an  English  squad 
ron  of  superior  force  made  its  appearance  and  the  commo 
dore  fearing  it  would  not  observe  the  neutrality  of  the  port 
stood  out  to  sea  with  his  ships,  and  endeavored  to  make  his 
escape.  The  Constitution  and  the  Cyane  got  safely  to  New 
York,  but  the  Levant  was  recaptured. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  island  are  the  ruins  of  an  old 
Portuguese  city.  It  was  abandoned  in  consequence  of  having 
no  harbor ;  but  from  the  appearance  of  the  ruins  it  must  have 
been  rather  an  imposing  place.  I  saw  there  the  stone  walls  of 
the  churches  and  other  public  buildings.  Upon  the  occasion 
of  my  visit  I  went  to  a  monastery,  some  portions  of  which  are 
inhabitable ;  indeed  we  found  several  black  monks  in  posses 
sion.  There  was  a  library  there  and  some  of  the  books  were 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  These  books  must  have  been 
very  old  and  rare  and  would  be  worth  their  weight  in  gold  in 
London.  Being  fond  of  old  books  I  have  since  regretted  not 
purchasing  some  of  them  which  I  could  readily  have  done. 

The  Cape  de  Verdes  were  discovered  in  1449,  and  I  expect 


136       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

this  city  was  founded  not  many  years  after.  It  was  called 
Santiago,  and  it  was  here  that  the  Vittoria,  one  of  Magellan's 
squadron,  touched,  July  10th,  1522,  upon  her  return  to  Spain 
after  having  accomplished  the  first  circumnavigation  of  the 
globe.  The  old  city  presented  a  mournful  appearance ;  but 
we  found  a  few  negroes  there.  Dr.  Potter  being  with  me  all 
the  sick  were  brought  out  for  him  to  prescribe  for  as  soon  as 
it  became  known.  It  is  indeed  sad  to  fall  in  with  people 
in  these  out-of-the-way  places  and  witness  their  sufferings  for 
the  want  of  medical  and  especially  surgical  assistance.  The 
fever  they  can  manage  themselves,  but  any  accident  to  body 
or  limb  must  go  uncared  for.  The  only  people  more  to  be 
pitied  in  this  respect  are  the  American  merchant  sailors. 

The  Government  established  a  depot  at  Porto  Praya  some 
time  in  1842  I  believe,  and  it  was  the  general  rendezvous  of 
the  squadron.  The  island  furnishes  very  fair  mess  stores — 
fruits  in  great  abundance,  and  the  oranges  the  best  I  have 
ever  seen  anywhere.  The  inhabitants  raise  turkeys  in  great 
numbers,  and  at  all  the  places  on  the  coast  we  found  them  in 
abundance.  This  rather  surprised  me,  for  I  do  not  remember 
seeing  them  in  any  numbers  in  the  tropics  anywhere  else. 

We  were  caught  here  on  this  visit  by  a  southwest  gale  which 
came  near  driving  us  ashore.  The  wind  sprang  up  at  night 
and  increased  so  rapidly  that  our  captain  did  not  think  it 
prudent  to  attempt  to  get  underweigh  and  he  decided  to  ride 
it  out.  All  hands  were  called  about  two  A.  M.,  the  topmasts 
were  housed  and  the  lower  yards  sent  down.  We  were  riding  by 
the  starboard  bower  anchor,  and  immediately  let  go  the  port 
bower  and  sheet  anchors  ;  we  veered  chain  on  all  until  the  star 
board  bower  had  120  fathoms  out.  I  had  never  before  seen  a 
vessel  ride  out  a  gale  on  a  lee  shore ;  and  as  the  sea  rose  and  came 
rolling  in  it  seemed  impossible  that  anything  could  hold  the 
ship.  The  port  chains  did  not  get  an  even  strain  with  the 
starboard  bower,  and  as  the  ship  rose  to  a  sea  she  would 
straighten  the  latter  out  as  stiff  as  an  iron  bar  and  the  strain 
would  squeeze  the  stay-bolts  out  of  it.  But  it  held.  We  were 


RESCUE  OF  THE  COPPER  THWAITE.  137 

in  the  habit  of  overhauling  our  chains  once  a  quarter  and 
knew  that  everything  was  in  good  order.  The  stern  of  the 
ship  was  not  very  far  from  the  rocks  at  the  base  of  a  steep 
cliff,  and  if  the  ship  had  gone  ashore  not  many  of  the  hundred 
and  fifty  men  on  board  would  have  reached  the  shore  alive. 
We  were  up  all  night  and  well  into  the  next  day  making  all 
snug.  The  starboard  sheet  was  hemp  and  it  took  some  time 
to  bend  it,  which  we  did.  At  noon  just  as  the  order  was  given 
to  pipe  to  dinner  an  American  brig — called  the  Copperthwaite, 
from  Philadelphia  on  a  trading  voyage — dragged  ashore  and 
hoisted  her  colors  union  down.  It  was  my  special  duty,  as 
Master  to  attend  to  this  kind  of  work  so  I  volunteered  to  go 
to  her  assistance.  The  captain  hesitated  some  time  about  low 
ering  a  boat — indeed  there  was  such  a  fearful  sea  running  that 
most  of  the  lieutenants  thought  that  a  boat  could  not  reach  the 
shore — but  he  finally  consented  to  let  me  make  the  attempt. 
The  boatswain  was  ordered  to  call  down  the  main  hatch  for 
volunteers  and  the  whole  ship's  company  promptly  responded. 
Passed  Midshipman  Selden  volunteered  to  go  with  me  and  we 
picked  out  thirteen  men,  most  of  whom  were  petty  officers.  The 
boat  was  lowered  with  Selden,  two  men  and  myself  in  her,  and 
towed  astern  by  a  hawser ;  the  other  men  jumped  overboard 
with  lines  and  we  pulled  them  in  the  boat  as  best  we  could. 
Watching  a  favorable  opportunity  we  let  go  the  hawser,  pulled 
short  round,  and  made  for  the  stranded  brig.  I  cannot  attempt 
to  describe  the  trip ;  but  we  could  only  see  the  top  of  our  ship's 
masts  when  we  went  down  in  the  hollow  of  the  waves,  and 
from  the  ship  they  did  not  see  us  at  all. 

There  was  an  American  whaler  between  us  and  the  shore 
and  her  boats  were  much  better  adapted  to  the  work  than 
ours  but  her  crew  looked  upon  it  as  our  "  pigeon,"  and  con 
tented  themselves  with  giving  us  three  cheers  as  we  went  flying 
by.  The  brig  was  lying  broadside  to  the  beach,  the  sea  was 
making  a  clean  breach  over  her  and  the  men  were  lashed  in 
the  rigging.  I  pulled  in  under  her  lee  to  turn  round,  and  having 
done  so,  pulled  directly  for  her  main  rigging  in  which  I  saw  her 


138       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

captain  waiting.  As  we  got  near  I  ran  forward  to  be  the  first 
on  board  and  as  the  boat  touched  the  brig's  side  I  made  a 
spring  and  caught  the  captain's  hand,  at  the  same  time  the  re 
ceding  wave  carried  the  boat  back  towards  the  shore.  I  hung 
on  for  a  moment,  but  our  hands  being  wet  and  perhaps  a  little 
greasy,  my  hold  slipped  and  overboard  I  went.  The  anxiety 
of  my  men  to  save  me  came  near  drowning  me ;  for  as  soon  as 
my  head  appeared  one  fellow  stuck  a  boat-hook  in  the  back 
of  my  neck  which  pushed  me  under  again,  and  I  could  not 
get  a  chance  to  catch  my  breath.  When  I  did  catch  it  I 
ordered  them  in  terms  more  forcible  than  polite  to  let  me 
alone,  and  being  a  tolerable  swimmer  I  was  soon  on  board  the 
brig  and  my  men  after  me.  As  is  the  custom  in  such  cases  I 
took  command  of  the  brig  and  gave  some  necessary  orders  as 
to  sending  down  the  upper  yards  and  masts,  and  to  execute 
which  my  men  sprang  aloft  like  cats.  The  captain  relieved  of 
all  responsibility  seemed  another  man,  and  his  first  words 
were :  "  Well  gents,  what  will  you  take  to  drink  ? " 

At  sunset  the  gale  had  somewhat  moderated ;  but  fearing 
the  brig  might  go  to  pieces  during  the  night,  and  knowing  that 
no  assistance  could  be  expected  from  the  shore,  we  decided  to 
leave  her  and  watch  her  from  the  beach.  As  I  had  previously 
sent  the  boat  ashore  under  the  lee  of  the  brig,  where  she  had 
been  hauled  up  by  the  natives,  we  all  jumped  overboard  and 
swam  ashore  in  a  body.  The  gale  still  moderating  we  went 
off  to  the  brig  again  shortly  after  midnight  and  got  an  anchor 
out  to  windward.  About  daylight  the  land  breeze  made,  wTe 
set  sail,  and  by  8  A.  M.  she  was  afloat.  The  brig  was  really 
not  much  injured ;  she  leaked  a  little,  but  not  more  than  the 
pumps  could  clear  very  handily ;  the  men  however  were 
tampered  with  by  the  Portuguese  merchants  in  Porto  Praya 
and  went  before  the  American  Consul  and  protested  against 
going  to  sea  in  her.  The  Consul  ordered  a  survey,  and  we  sent 
a  gang  of  men,  discharged  her  cargo,  and  hove  her  down. 
Our  carpenters  stopped  the  leak,  and  we  put  her  all  ataunto 
again ;  the  men  still  refused  to  go  in  her  and  she  was  sold. 


A  COMPLIMENTARY  LETTER.  139 

She  was  worth  about  six  thousand  dollars  and  brought  fifteen 
hundred.  A  few  days  after,  she  sailed  for  the  coast  under  a 
Portuguese  captain  with  a  full  cargo  of  rice !  Not  the  first 
American  vessel  sacrificed  in  this  way  in  a  foreign  port  by  a 
long  shot.  I  felt  very  much  for  the  poor  captain,  and  after 
all  the  men  did  not  make  very  much  by  their  motion  as  most 
of  them  died  of  fever.  In  spite  of  the  exposure  and  hard  work 
our  men  did  not  suffer  at  all.  We  did  not  have  a  single  case 
of  fever.  For  my  services  on  this  occasion  I,  some  months 
afterwards,  received  a  letter  from  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  State ; 
all  I  remember  about  it  is  that  it  was  tied  with  a  blue  ribbon. 


140      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

KROUMEN — THE  BRIG  "PORPOISE" — A  BOATSWAIN'S  MATE'S  POETRY — A  NAR- 
BOW  ESCAPE  FROM  DROWNING — ACCRA — ELMINA — CAPE  COAST  CASTLE- 
GRAVE  OF  L.  E.  L. — SLAVERS— A  YANKEE  TRICK— THE  SLAVE  TRADE— 
THE  "BRIDGTON" — WHYDAH — DAHOMEY — PRINCE'S  ISLAND — AFRICAN 
FEVER— SECOND  CRUISE  TO  WINDWARD — MADEIRA — CANARY  ISLANDS- 
WRECK  OF  THE  "  YORKTOWN"  ON  THE  ISLAND  OF  MAYO — RETURN  HOME 

— HOW   TO    FIND   THE   MOON'S   AGE. 

UPON  our  first  visit  to  Monrovia  we  had  provided  ourselves 
with  twenty  Kroumen  to  do  the  boat  work  of  the  ship.  These 
men  belong  to  a  tribe  on  the  coast  near  Tradetown ;  but  there 
are  always  a  number  of  them  to  be  found  at  a  little  village  of 
their  own  near  Monrovia.  They  are  sober  and  obedient,  and 
the  best  boatmen  in  the  world.  They  are  regularly  enlisted 
and  borne  on  the  ship's  books  and  as  their  proper  names  can 
not  be  pronounced — much  less  spelled — the  purser  names  them 
to  suit  himself.  These  names  are  printed  inside  their  Sunday 
hats  and  if  the  hat  is  lost  the  man  loses  his  identity.  On  Sun 
days  they  were  mustered  with  the  rest  of  the  crew,  and  it  was 
hard  to  resist  a  smile  at  hearing  called  out  such  names  as : 
Jack  Fryingpan,  Giraffe,  Upside  Down,  Bottle  of  Beer,  &c. 

When  I  went  on  shore  to  take  observations  with  the  artificial 
horizon  (a  small  trough  filled  with  quicksilver)  the  boat's  crew 
of  Kroumen  would  sit  on  their  haunches  near  by  and  gravely 
watch  the  operation.  As  they  saw  me  do  this  always  before 
sailing  from  a  port  they  not  unnaturally  gathered  the  impres 
sion  that  as  I  looked  in  the  quicksilver  with  the  sextant  /  was 
looking  for  the  way  to  the  next  port  I  I  encouraged  them  in 
this  belief  to  keep  them  quiet.  At  Porto  Praya,  especially, 
they  were  always  very  anxious  to  know  what  vessels  were 
anchored  off  Monrovia,  and  as  I  generally  knew  what  vessels 
should  be  there  I  could  give  a  correct  answer. 


A  BOATSWAIN'S  MATE'S  POETRY.  141 

We  sailed  from  Porto  Praya  on  our  second  cruise  down  the 
coast  in  November,  1849.  Upon  our  arrival  at  Monrovia  we 
found  the  brig  Porpoise  at  anchor  (as  I  had  previously  pre 
dicted.)  The  second  lieutenant  of  the  brig,  Israel  Waite,  was 
one  of  the  most  humorous  men  I  have  ever  known.  Alas  poor 
Yorick !  he  lost  his  commission  a  few  years  after  this  time  and 
went  to  Nicaragua  with  Walker's  filibusters  where  he  was 
either  killed  or  died  of  fever.  The  captain  of  the  Porpoise 
was  a  nervous  man  and  had  a  habit  of  calling  everything  a 
"  chap  ;"  he  would  say :  "  What  do  you  think  of  that  chap," 
meaning  perhaps  a  rising  squall.  Waite  in  turning  over  the 
deck  to  his  relief  wrould  frequently  say :  "  'It  looks  a  little  chappy 
on  the  lee  bow."  The  Porpoise  had  a  fine  set  of  fellows  in  her 
wardroom  and  we  were  very  intimate  with  them.  She  had, 
too,  that  rara  avis,  a  poetical  boatswain's  mate  !  Here  is  one 
of  his  parodies  which  I  happen  to  recall : 


1. 

I  knew  by  the  smoke  that  so  gracefully  curled 
Around  the  fore  hatch  that  dinner  was  nigh  ; 
And  I  said  if  there's  anything  good  in  this  world 
'Tis  made  in  our  mess  and  they  call  it  sea-pie. 

2. 

'Tis  12  and  the  boatswain  is  ordered  to  pipe, 
His  mates  they  stand  ready  to  answer  and  bawl ; 
The  grog-tub  is  out  and  the  line  stretched  along, 
Each  hand  is  awaiting  the  sound  of  the  "  call." 

3. 

By  the  side  of  yon  grog-tub  how  sweet  'tis  to  stand 
And  listen  to  catch  the  dear  sound  of  your  name : 
But  oh !  how  much  sweeter  when  the  tot's  in  your  hand 
You  drink  and  are  off  some  sea-pie  to  claim. 

4. 

And  thus  in  a  snug  man-of-war  did  I  say, 
With  a  cook  to  attend  me  and  make  me  sea-pie; 
With  my  half  pint  of  whiskey  to  drink  every  day, 
How  sweet  could  I  live,  and  how  calm  could  I  die  I 


142       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER 

The  mess  on  board  the  Porpoise  kept  a  book  called  the 
"  goss  "  book ;  I  do  not  know  the  etymology  of  the  word  "  goss ;" 
but  that  was  its  name.  All  such  effusions  as  the  above  were 
entered  in  it,  which  is  why  I  remember  it.  My  memory  pre 
serves,  fortunately  for  the  reader,  but  one  more. 

TO  ANNAPOLIS. 

For  many  months  we  happy  were 
In  drinking  juleps,  eating  crabs, 
Without  a  thought,  without  a  care, 
We  smoked  away — not  penny  grabs  ! 
But  oh !  the  day  at  length  arrived 
To  pony  up  the  good  and  just 
Round  sum  of  three  seventy-five 
But  very  few  put  down  the  dust. 

But:  Satis  superque,  de  reste,  bastantemente !  All  this  is 
digression  and  a  long  one  too.  Let  me  pull  myself  together 
and  resume. 

While  at  Monrovia  upon  this  visit  I  made  a  pretty  narrow 
escape  from  drowning.  When  we  went  on  shore  we  never 
attempted  to  land  in  our  own  boats — the  custom  was  to  lie  out 
side  the  breakers  and  wait  for  a  canoe  to  come  out  and  take 
us  in.  One  morning  I  started  with  two  of  our  lieutenants  to 
go  on  shore  to  hold  a  survey  on  some  naval  stores,  and  when 
we  got  near  the  beach  the  senior  officer  said  it  was  too  rough 
to  land.  My  friend,  Dr.  Thomas  M.  Potter,  (now  a  medical 
director  on  the  retired  list)  was  in  the  boat  and  as  we  wanted 
to  go  on  liberty  we  waited  for  a  canoe  and  very  imprudently 
both  got  in  her — I  in  the  bow  and  he  in  the  stern.  When  we 
entered  the  breakers  the  first  one  went  completely  over  and 
swamped  us.  I  knew  the  Krouman  was  all  right,  but  as  soon 
as  I  got  my  head  above  water  I  turned  to  look  for  Potter ;  see 
ing  him  diving  for  his  umbrella  I  concluded  he  could  take  care 
of  himself,  so  I  struck  out  for  the  shore  which  I  was  the  first 
to  reach.  Fortunately  there  were  a  number  of  Kroumen  on 
the  beach  watching  us  and  they  joined  hands  and  hauled  us 
up  as  soon  as  we  struck  the  beach :  otherwise  we  would  in- 


CAPE  COAST  CASTLE.  143 

evitably  have  been  carried  back  by  the  undertow  and  drowned. 
I  remember  that  when  I  struck  the  beach  the  sand  seemed  to 
me  to  be  receding  at  the  rate  of  40  miles  a  minute ;  "  or  words 
to  that  effect." 

In  January,  1850,  we  sailed  from  Monrovia  for  a  cruise 
down  the  coast.  We  first  stopped  at  Cape  Palmas,  which 
struck  me  as  the  prettiest  of  all  the  settlements  in  Liberia,  and 
I  believe  it  is  the  most  healthy.  From  there  we  went  down 
along  the  gold  coast  into  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  stopping  at  Accra, 
Elmina,  and  Cape  Coast  Castle.  Elmina  and  Cape  Coast 
Castle  are  fortified  places ;  the  former  is  held  by  the  Dutch 
and  the  latter  by  the  English.  All  these  places  were  originally 
held  by  the  Portuguese  who  made  the  first  discoveries  on  this 
coast;  they  discovered  Madeira  in  1419;  Cape  Bojador  in 
1439;  Cape  Verde  in  1446;  the  Cape  de  Verde  islands  in 
1449;  Sierra  Leone  in  1450;  Congo  was  visited  in  1484;  and 
finally  Bartolomeo  Diaz  reached  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope — 
called  by  him  the  Cape  of  Storms — in  1486.  They  were  the 
great  navigators  of  the  world  at  this  time. 

Cape  Coast  Castle  presents  a  very  imposing  appearance  from 
the  sea.  It  is  built  of  brick  or  stone,  and  mounts  some  large 
guns,  principally  for  the  land  defence.  It  has  resisted  several 
attacks  by  the  Ashantees.  It  was  here  that  the  poetess,  Miss 
Landon,  (L.  E.  L.)  died.  She  married  Governor  McLean,  and 
died  soon  after  her  arrival  at  the  Castle  under  somewhat  mys 
terious  circumstances.  I  had  a  commission  from  a  lady  to 
gather  something  from  her  grave — a  flower  or  even  a  tuft  of 
grass — but  I  found  only  a  slab  to  mark  where  she  had  been 
buried  in  the  parade  ground,  and  no  green  thing  within  a  mile 
of  it. 

At  Elmina  and  Cape  Coast  Castle  we  were  most  hospitably 
entertained  by  the  officers.  Poor  fellows,  they  were  much  cut 
off  from  the  world  and  a  strange  face  was  a  real  pleasure  to 
them.  These  places  along  the  coast,  called  factories,  were 
originally  established  for  the  trade  in  slaves.  At  Accra  we 
fell  in  with  H.  B.  M.  brig  Contest,  Captain  Spencer,  who  told 


144      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

us  of  a  certain  American  brig  Bridgton  being  on  the  coast  and 
strongly  suspected  of  being  a  slaver.  I  had  always  had  a 
desire  to  catch  a  slaver  with  the  slaves  on  board,  for  I  wanted 
to  see  if  what  I  had  heard  of  them  was  true ;  but  I  knew  the 
trouble  it  gave  if  one  were  only  taken  on  suspicion.  The 
difficulty  with  these  vessels  was  that  the  slavers  took  out  the 
same  cargo  as  the  regular  traders,  viz. :  rum,  tobacco,  cotton- 
cloths,  fire  arms,  &c.,  &c.  Under  a  cargo  of  this  kind  the 
slavers  had  lumber  for  the  slave  deck,  water  casks,  &c.  When 
they  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  slaves  were  ready  to  be 
shipped  they  would  discharge  cargo,  fill  up  their  water,  take 
the  negroes  on  board  with  inconceivable  rapidity,  and  put  to 
sea. 

A  neat  trick  was  played  upon  the  English  brigs  Contest  and 
Kingfisher  by  the  captain  of  one  of  these  vessels.  He  was  in 
port  with  them,  and  at  first  was  suspected ;  but  as  he  flew  the 
American  flag  the  Englishmen  were  chary  of  searching  him. 
After  some  time,  as  he  continued  to  sell  his  goods  as  a  regular 
trader,  their  suspicions  were  allayed  and  he  became  quite 
sociable  with  the  two  English  captains.  He  had  just  arrived 
on  the  coast,  had  plenty  of  good  liquors  and  cigars,  and  was 
very  hospitable.  The  captains  frequently  dined  with  him  and 
no  doubt  found  it  pleasant  to  be  relieved  of  the  restrictions  of 
a  man-of-war.  One  evening  the  conversation  x  turned  on  the 
sailing  qualities  of  their  respective  vessels  and  the  American 
said  he  would  like  to  give  them  a  trial.  The  next  morning 
he  got  underweigh  with  the  land  breeze  and  in  passing  the 
English  brigs  hailed  'their  commanders  and  challenged  them 
to  a  race.  They  both  got  underweigh,  followed  him  out,  and  in 
the  afternoon  when  the  usual  sea  breeze  set  in  they  had  a  trial 
of  speed  "  on  a  wind."  At  sunset  the  English  vessels  parted 
company  as  they  were  obliged  to  return  to  their  stations.  The 
American  bid  them  an  affectionate  adieu.  When  the  brigs 
got  back  they  found  he  had  taken  on  board  a  full  cargo  of 
slaves  the  preceding  night,  and  as  he  had  24  hours  start  it  was 
useless  to  pursue. 


THE  SLA  VE  TRADE.  146 

When  slaves  are  actually  on  board  a  vessel  it  is  hard  to  say 
whether  their  condition  is  ameliorated  by  being  recaptured  or 
not.  If  they  are  recaptured  they  cannot  be  restored  to  their 
homes ;  for  they  are  taken  from  the  interior,  and  if  landed, 
the  coast  tribes  make  them  prisoners  again :  so  some  other  dis 
position  must  be  made  of  them.  If  captured  by  an  English 
man-of-war  they  are  sent  to  Sierra  Leone,  or  enlisted  in  the 
West  India  regiments  ;  if  an  American  man-of-war  captures 
them  they  are  landed  at  Monrovia  and  apprenticed  to  the 
Liberians  for  a  term  of  years  ;  and  if  they  are  not  slaves 
their  condition  is  so  near  it  that  I  was  unable  to  perceive  the 
difference. 

On  our  way  down  to  Whydah  we  fell  in  with  the  brig 
Bridgton.  I  boarded  her  and  brought  her  captain  back  with 
me,  with  his  "  papers."  He  was  a  Portuguese  and  had  not  an 
American  in  his  crew.  He  was  evidently  much  frightened, 
but  after  some  conversation  with  our  captain  he  convinced 
him  that  his  "  papers  "  were  all  right :  as  indeed  they  seemed 
to  be.  The  brig  was  cleared  from  Bahia  and  her  "  papers  " 
were  countersigned  by  the  American  consul.  When  the  cap 
tain  found  we  intended  to  let  him  go  he  became  as  saucy  as  a 
Pasquotank  man  in  the  herring  season.  We  furnished  him 
with  an  anchor  and  cable,  for  which  he  gave  us  an  order  on 
his  owners  in  Philadelphia.  The  Bridgton  accompanied  us 
to  Whydah,  and  here  we  found  the  launch  of  the  Kingfisher, 
commanded  by  a  Lieutenant  Hamilton. 

The  English  used  to  keep  their  boats  stretched  along  the 
coast,  at  intervals  of  ten  miles,  and  in  this  way  one  vessel 
watched  a  long  strip  of  coast.  The  brig  Perry,  commanded 
by  Commander  Foote  (afterwards  a  distinguished  admiral) 
was  the  only  vessel  of  our  squadron  that  adopted  this  plan 
and  she  was  rewarded  by  the  capture  of  several  slavers.  One 
was  a  large  ship  with  six  or  eight  hundred  slaves  on  board. 
The  Perry  was  under  English  colors  when  she  saw  her,  and 
the  ship  hoisting  American  colors,  Captain  Foote  took  pos 
session  of  her.  Hamilton  of  the  Kingfisher  had  been  after 


140       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

the  Bridgton  for  some  time.  He  was  very  glad  to  spend  his 
nights  with  us  while  at  Whydah ;  but  I  observed  he  kept  a 
bright  lookout  for  the  Kingfisher,  and  was  always  off  bright 
and  early.  He  was  a  capital  fellow  and  we  were  glad  to  have 
him.  He  told  us  that  the  captain  of  the  Bridgton  was  very 
"  cheeky  "  since  our  arrival  and  would  point  to  our  flag  and 
tell  him  he  could  not  "  touch  him  now."  Hamilton  always 
told  him  he  was  only  waiting  for  him  to  get  his  slaves  on 
board  to  capture  him.  We  heard  afterwards  that  the  Bridgton 
got  off  with  a  full  cargo  of  slaves  a  few  days  after  our  de 
parture,  in  spite  of  Hamilton. 

Whydah  is  the  principal  seaport  of  the  kingdom  of  Da 
homey,  of  which  we  have  heard  so  much  of  late  years.  An 
Englishman  who  had  been  in  the  country  for  some  time  gave 
me  an  interesting  account  of  the  king  and  his  people. 
Speaking  of  their  snake  temples — for  they  worship  snakes — 
he  said  that  an  English  cooper,  not  long  in  the  country,  wras 
one  day  coopering  a  cask,  and  seeing  a  large  snake  near  by 
he  chopped  its  head  off.  It  was  with  much  difficulty  that  the 
foreigners  saved  his  life ;  he  was  sent  out  of  the  country  and 
a  large  fine  paid.  He  told  me  that  when  the  king  desired  to 
send  a  message  to  a  deceased  friend  or  relative  he  would 
send  for  a  slave,  give  him  the  message  and  have  his  head  cut 
off;  he  said  he  had  never  seen  a  slave  exhibit  any  fear,  and  I 
have  been  told  the  same  of  the  Chinese  when  about  to  suffer 
death. 

From  Whydah  wTe  went  to  Prince's  island  to  water  ship. 
This  is  a  beautiful  spot,  nearly  on  the  equator  ;  the  land  is  very 
high  and  as  vessels  anchor  near  the  shore  the  hills  seem  to  be 
nearly  overhead.  We  enjoyed  our  visit  here  very  much,  princi 
pally  on  account  of  the  fresh- water  bathing.  Many  streams  run 
into  the  sea  from  the  mountains  near  the  village,  and  in  a  hard 
rain  it  is  wonderful  to  see  the  rapidity  with  which  the  water 
rises.  In  company  with  half-a-dozen  officers  I  walked  across 
the  island  to  visit  an  old  city  which  had  been  abandoned.  I 
found  there  the  ruins  of  stone  churches,  monasteries,  etc.,  simi- 


SECOND  CRUISE  TO  WINDWARD.  147 

lar  to  the  old  city  on  St.  Jago  island.  It  had  evidently  been 
a  place  of  importance.  These  old  cities  all  have  romantic  his 
tories  if  one  could  only  get  at  them.  The  Portuguese  seemed  in 
those  days  to  build  cities  first,  and  look  for  a  harbor  afterwards. 
St.  Paul  de  Loanda,  in  about  nine  degrees  south  latitude, 
was  the  largest  and  most  important  of  all  their  cities  on  the 
west  coast.  It  still  belongs  to  Portugal,  but  is  of  little  conse 
quence  now ;  though  the  recent  operations  on  the  Congo  river 
may  resuscitate  it. 

Our  ship  was  perfectly  healthy  the  whole  time  we  were 
on  this  station.  We  were  never  allowed  to  remain  out  of  the 
ship  after  sunset,  and  the  ship  never  entered  the  rivers.  In 
1844  the  Preble  lost  many  of  her  crew  while  lying  in  a  river 
on  the  coast,  since  which  time  it  is  forbidden  by  the  Depart 
ment  to  do  so.  I  think  the  health  of  the  station  compares 
favorably  with  the  West  Indies  or  coast  of  Brazil.  We  had 
but  one  case  of  real  African  fever  and  the  patient  recovered. 

Leaving  Prince's  island  we  sailed  for  Porto  Praya,  touching 
at  many  ports  on  our  way  up  the  coast.  We  sailed  from  Porto 
Praya  for  a  cruise  to  windward  in  June,  in  company  with  the 
Portsmouth.  We  beat  up  through  the  islands  (Cape  de  Verdes) 
and  I  was  much  surprised  at  the  strength  of  the  trades.  As 
we  got  to  the  northward  of  Mayo  the  wind  freshened  to  double 
reefs,  and  at  noon  we  were  actually  hove  to  under  a  close- 
reefed  main  topsail  and  fore  storm  staysail.  At  4  p.  M. 
the  same  day  we  had  the  royals  set.  We  arrived  at  Funchal 
on  the  1st  of  July  and  for  the  month  we  remained  there  did 
nothing  but  enjoy  ourselves.  It  was  our  third  visit  and  we 
had  many  acquaintances.  We  commenced  the  round  by  having 
all  of  our  friends  on  board  to  a  dejeuner  a  la  fourchette  on  the 
4th  of  July,  and  after  that  there  was  a  succession  of  picnics, 
dinner  parties,  etc.  Mr.  Howard  March,  our  consul,  kept 
open  house  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Beyman,  did  the  honors. 

About  the  1st  of  August  we  left  Madeira  for  the  Canary 
islands  and  spent  another  month  between  TenerifFe  and  Palmas. 
These  islands  belong  to  Spain.  They  were  known  to  the 


148        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

ancients  under  the  name  of  the  Fortunate  Islands.  One  can 
readily  understand  why  they  were  known  as  they  can  be  seen 
from  the  coast  of  Africa.  The  peak  of  Teneriffe,  12,000  feet 
high,  is  visible  in  clear  weather  at  a  distance  of  150  miles. 
The  Spaniards  discovered  these  islands  about  1330.  They 
were  inhabited  at  that  time  by  a  race  called  Guanches,  probably 
Arabs  from  the  adjacent  coast.  All  trace  of  these  people  is 
now  lost,  which  is  much  to  be  regretted.  The  Spaniards  ex 
tirpated  them  during  the  16th  century.  From  Gomera,  the 
most  westerly  island,  Columbus  sailed  to  discover  the  new 
world. 

We  sailed  from  Palmas  about  August  30th,  1850,  on  what 
was  to  prove  the  last  cruise  of  the  Yorktown.  We  had  fresh 
trades  and  fine  weather  and  steered  to  make  Bonavista  the 
northernmost  of  the  Cape  de  Verde  islands.  We  expected  to 
meet  our  relief,  the  sloop-of-war  Dale,  at  Porto  Praya  whence 
we  would  sail  for  home.  It  may  be  imagined  that  we  were  all 
in  fine  spirits.  Our  cruise  was  up  ;  we  had  lost  but  one  or 
two  men  by  sickness ;  there  had  been  no  courts-martial,  and 
nothing  had  occurred  to  break  the  harmony  existing  on  board. 
The  second  day  out  I  remember  that  when  I  marked  the  chart 
in  the  wardroom  I  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  we  were 
abreast  the  point  where  Captain  Kiley  was  wrecked  in  the  brig 
Commerce  in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  and  he  and  his 
crew  made  prisoners  by  the  Arabs. 

We  made  the  island  of  Bonavista  as  expected,  and  on  the 
4th  of  September  ran  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  island  of 
Sal  with  a  strong  trade  wind  blowing.  At  sunset  that  day  we 
hauled  round  the  south  point  of  that  island  and  shaped  a 
course  to  pass  to  the  northward  of  the  island  of  Mayo.  There 
was  some  discussion  as  to  this,  for  the  usual  course  was  to  go  to 
the  southward  of  Mayo;  but  no  danger  was  anticipated  as 
there  was  plenty  of  room  and  to  spare  between  Mayo  and  the 
island  to  the  northward  of  it.  The  ship  was  under  top  gallant 
sails  and  the  lee  clew  of  the  mainsail,  and  running  9  knots, 
with  the  wind  on  the  starboard  quarter.  At  1  A.  M.  we  hauled 


WRECK  OF  THE  YORKTOWN.  149 

up  the  mainsail.  I  had  the  morning  watch  and  at  4  A.  M.  re 
lieved  Lieutenant  Caldwell,  who,  after  passing  the  orders,  ex 
patiated  upon  the  good  breakfast  he  expected  to  wake  up  to 
in  Porto  Praya,  where  we  expected  to  arrive  by  8  A.  M. 

The  island  of  Mayo  was  in  sight  on  our  port  beam,  and  the 
island  of  St.  Jago  ahead;  the  weather  was  clear  with  flying 
trade  clouds.  The  captain  who  had  been  up  all  night  came 
out  of  his  cabin  and  asked  me  how  far  I  thought  we  were  from 
Mayo.  The  peaks  visible  to  us  were  some  distance  inland,  and 
it  was  difficult  to  judge.  Our  lookouts  were  cautioned  to  be 
on  the  qui  vive,  and  I  had  scarcely  issued  the  order  when  the 
forecastle  lookout  called  out :  "  breakers  ahead."  It  was  just 
before  5  o'clock,  and  the  day  was  beginning  to  dawn.  I  imme 
diately  slapped  the  helm  hard  down  and  manned  the  lee  main 
braces,  intending  to  brace  up  aft,  brace  abox  the  head  yards, 
and  wear  short  round  on  her  heel ;  but  she  had  hardly  come 
up  a  point  when  she  struck,  and  fetched  up  all  standing.  It 
was  a  miracle  that  the  masts  did  not  go  over  the  bows.  We 
now  braced  up  fore  and  aft,  and  attempted  to  force  her  over. 
Upon  sounding  the  well  it  was  found  that  there  was  already 
much  wrater  in  her,  and  wre  manned  the  pumps  and  commenced 
pumping.  By  this  time  all  hands  were  on  deck,  and  the  first 
lieutenant,  Mr.  Rootes,  had  just  relieved  me  when  the  carpen 
ter  came  up,  and  in  a  low,  calm  voice-  said :  "  It  is  of  no  use 
to  pump ;  the  ship's  bottom  is  knocked  out !"  And  so  it  was ; 
she  had  struck  on  sunken,  sharp-pointed  rocks,  and  as  she  rose 
and  fell  with  the  sea  which  was  pretty  heavy  the  bottom  was 
crushed  in,  and  the  water  tanks,  &c.,  in  the  hold  were  rammed 
up  against  the  berth  deck  beams.  Finding  that  it  was  useless 
to  attempt  to  save  the  ship  we  now  turned  our  attention  to  the 
saving  of  life  and  material.  The  boats  were  hoisted  out  and 
lowered  and  towed  a-stern  with  marines  in  them  to  prevent 
any  one  getting  in  without  orders,  and  the  upper  masts  and 
yards  were  sent  down  on  deck.  The  ship  had  now  settled  down, 
on  the  rocks  with  the  water  about  knee-deep  on  the  berth  deck. 

When  day  broke  we  found  we  were  on  the  north  end  of 


150        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Mayo  island  about  a  mile  from  the  shore.  Outside  of  us,  at  a 
distance  of  a  mile,  was  a  reef  on  which  the  sea  was  breaking 
heavily ;  had  we  struck  on  that  reef  not  a  man  would  have 
been  saved.  The  purser's  safe  with  the  ship's  money  and 
books  were  taken  up  into  the  cabin,  and  the  men  were  ordered 
to  bring  their  bags  up  on  the  spar  deck.  While  we  were  en 
gaged  in  this  the  ship  suddenly  fell  over  on  her  starboard 
beam  ends,  and  there  was  a  rush  for  the  boats,  which  were  soon 
filled  with  the  marines,  landsmen  and  idlers.  The  officers  and 
our  best  men,  however,  stuck  to  the  ship  and  clambered  up 
the  sides  to  the  weather  rail.  The  masts  were  cut  away,  and 
although  some  men  were  aloft  at  the  time  they  were  rescued 
unhurt.  As  soon  as  I  got  on  the  weather  side  I  turned  to 
take  a  view  of  the  scene,  and  the  first  man  I  noticed  was 
Caldwell  sitting  on  the  weather  main  brace  bumpkin  with  a 
loaf  of  bread  under  his  arm,  and  a  very  tall  plume  sticking 
up  in  his  old  straw  sombrero.  It  seems  that  as  the  ship  cap 
sized  he  had  grabbed  at  the  captain's  flower-pots  and  seized 
the  plume  which  he  stuck  in  his  hat.  The  ship  now  lay  com 
pletely  over  on  her  starboard  side,  with  the  water  over  her 
hatchways.  Lieutenant  Frailey  who  was  below  when  the  ship 
went  over  made  a  narrow  escape ;  he  found  all  the  ladders 
carried  away  and  could  not  get  on  deck ;  as  the  water  came 
pouring  in  it  swept  him  aft,  and  with  a  receding  swell  he  was 
carried  to  the  hatchway,  where  the  boatswain  caught  sight  of 
him,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  gunner  hauled  him  up  on 
deck  in  an  exhausted  condition.  The  ship  had  no  air-ports 
and  the  lower  deck  was  lighted  by  dead  lights  let  into  the 
spar  deck.  As  the  ship  capsized,  the  pressure  of  the  air  forced 
out  all  those  on  the  port  side.  Two  of  the  wardroom  servants 
(Portuguese)  who  were  caught  below  took  refuge  in  the  mas 
ter's  room,  and  thrust  their  hands  through  these  openings 
with  loud  cries  for  assistance.  The  boatswain,  Mr.  Young, 
and  the  gunner,  Mr.  Oliver,  who  were  conspicuous  for  their 
activity  and  courage  on  this  occasion,  cut  the  hole  larger  with 
axes  and  soon  got  them  on  deck.  They  certainly  came  up 


WRECK  OF  THE  YORKTO  \VN.  151 

through  a  very  small  hole,  and  were  so  dreadfully  frightened 
that  they  forgot  all  the  English  they  had  previously  learned, 
nor  did  they  recover  it  while  I  was  with  them.  The  boats 
being  loaded  to  the  water's  edge  were  sent  ashore  to  land  their 
men,  and  we  hung  on  to  the  wreck  to  await  their  return.  Our 
best  men  stuck  by  the  officers  and  were  perfectly  unconcern-d ; 
the  only  fear  I  had  was  that  she  might  slip  off  the  rocks  and 
go  down  in  deep  water.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  the  boats 
returned,  and  the  ship  was  formally  abandoned  without  the  loss 
of  a  man.  Mr.  Rootes  was  the  last  man  to  leave  the  wreck. 

As  soon  as  we  got  on  shore  we  picked  out  good  boats'  crews 
and  returned  to  the  ship  where  we  commenced  getting  sails 
and  spars  for  tents  and  sent  them  on  shore.  All  the  provisions 
we  could  get  at  were  also  landed.  The  water  was  spoiled  five 
minutes  after  the  ship  struck,  and  it  was  well  for  us  that  we 
found  it  on  the  island.  As  it  was  we  suffered  much  for  the 
want  of  it  the  first  day.  By  sunset  we  had  sent  ashore  many 
necessary  articles  and  we  all  landed.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
headache  I  had  when  I  got  on  shore,  nor  the  magical  effects 
of  a  cup  of  tea  which  a  sailor  brought  me  in  a  tin  pot.  We 
slept  that  night  on  the  beach  in  the  tents  we  had  erected.  The 
next  morning  we  went  again  to  the  wreck,  and  the  Kroumen 
who  were  demoralized  the  first  day  now  proved  very  efficient. 
The  ship's  money  which  consisted  of  doubloons  and  silver  dol 
lars  in  bags  had  been  put  on  the  transom  in  the  cabin,  and  was 
now  lying  to  leeward  of  it  under  water  with  debris  of  all  kinds. 
The  Kroumen  recovered  a  good  deal  of  it  by  diving.  I  noticed 
that  when  they  became  exhausted  they  would  say  they  would 
make  one  more  dive  and  stop.  At  the  last  dive  they  would 
come  up  with  both  hands  full  of  money  and  their  mouths  also  ! 
We  winked  at  this  proceeding,  remembering  the  old  adage 
that  you  should  never  "  look  a  gift  horse  in  the  mouth." 

Had  it  not  been  for  these  water-dogs  we  would  not  have  re 
covered  a  cent.  As  the  ship  broke  up,  different  articles  floated 
on  shore ;  among  them  many  -quarter  casks  of  good  Madeira 
wine.  These  we  had  to  stave  to  prevent  the  men  from  getting 


152        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

at  it.  We  remained  here  several  days  and  then  removed  to 
the  southern  end  of  the  island,  where  there  was  a  town  inhabited 
by  negroes.  Some  of  us  went  by  land  and  the  rest  in  the 
boats.  Upon  our  arrival  the  officers  and  men  were  distributed 
among  the  houses,  and  Lieutenant  Spottswood  was  sent  in  the 
launch  to  Porto  Praya  to  notify  the  Consul  of  our  condition. 
He  soon  returned  with  a  schooner  loaded  with  provisions  from 
the  naval  store-house.  There  were  a  few  Portuguese  in  the 
village ;  a  commandante,  of  course,  and  about  twenty  black 
soldiers.  The  American  Consul  was  a  Portuguese  negro  who 
had  received  some  education  in  Lisbon.  We  found  him  a  very 
sensible  and  hospitable  man.  Mayo  exports  salt  only.  Ships 
go  to  the  town  I  am  writing  of  for  it.  There  is  no  harbor, 
and  the  salt  is  taken  off  with  much  difficulty ;  it  is  collected  in 
pans.  We  remained  on  the  island  33  days  anxiously  looking 
for  the  arrival  of  the  Dale.  Our  amusements  were  salt-water 
bathing,  riding  donkey  races  and  shooting.  We  found  large 
numbers  of  quail  and  guinea  fowls  on  the  island ;  the  latter 
the  most  difficult  bird  to  shoot  I  have  ever  met  with.  Our 
men  remained  healthy  and  we  lost  but  one  man  by  sickness. 
The  huts  we  lived  in  were  comfortable  enough  in  dry  weather  ; 
but  in  rainy  weather  the  roofs  leaked  badly.  Calling  upon 
one  of  the  midshipmen  one  morning  I  found  him  in  bed  read 
ing  Shakespeare ;  he  was  smoking  a  pipe  and  had  a  glass  of 
aguadiente  convenient ;  and  to  make  himself  still  more  com 
fortable  had  an  umbrella  hoisted  to  protect  himself  from  the 
rain  which  was  falling  heavily,  and  from  which  the  roof  of  his 
shanty  did  not  protect  him.  On  the  8th  of  October  the  Dale 
arrived,  and  the  next  day  we  went  in  her  to  Porto  Praya  where 
we  found  the  Portsmouth,  Commodore  Gregory,  and  the  John 
Adams,  Captain  Powell.  To  this  latter  ship  we  were  now 
transferred  and  sailed  in  her  for  home.  We  ran  the  trades 
down  to  the  island  of  St.  Thomas  where  we  stopped  to  water. 
We  remained  but  a  few  days  and  then  sailed  for  Norfolk  where 
we  arrived  in  December,  1850.  Captain  Marston  was  tried 
by  a  court  martial  for  the  loss  of  his  ship  and  honorably 
acquitted. 


HO  W  TO  FIND  THE  MOON'S  AGE.  153 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  am  reminded  to  give  a  "  rule 
for  finding  the  moon's  age,"  given  me  by  Captain  Marston — 
not  that  it  is  new,  for  I  have  seen  it  in  almanacs  many  times 
since  then,  but  because  I  have  never  known  any  one,  save 
myself,  to  make  a  proper  practical  use  of  it.  I  am  reminded 
of  it  here,  because  I  wanted  to  know  if  there  was  a  moon  on 
the  night  the  Yorktown  was  wrecked  and  have  applied  the 
rule  to  find  out.  Of  course  all  almanacs  give  the  moon's  age ; 
but  then  one  cannot  always  have  an  almanac  at  hand. 

The  rule  is  used  by  the  Church  in  determining  festivals, 
feast  days,  etc.  It  is  as  follows :  "  To  the  epact,  add  the  day 
of  the  month,  #nd  to  this  sum  add  the  number  of  the  month 
from  March  (inclusive).  This  sum  if  less  than  30  will  be  the 
moon's  age ;  should  the  sum  exceed  30,  subtract  30  and  the 
remainder  will  be  the  moon's  age."  The  moon's  age  calculated 
in  this  way  may  be  one  day  in  error. 

The  epact  can  be  found  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  Knowing  it  for  one  year  it  is  easily 
calculated,  as  it  increases  by  11  from  one  year  to  the  next,  and 
30  is  dropped  when  the  sum  exceeds  30.  It  should  be  observed 
that  the  epact  is  reckoned  from  March  to  March.  I  will  give 
an  example  of  the  application  of  this  rule : 

Required  the  moon's  age  on  the  5th  day  of  September,  1850. 

Epact  for  1850 17 

Number  of  months  from  March  to  September  (inclusive)  .    7 
Day  of  the  month 5 

Moon's  age 29 

So  there  was  no  moon  on  that  night. 

1* 


154        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  MORNING  CALL — ORDERED  TO  THE  SURVEYING  BRIG  "  WASHINGTON" — 
SURVEY  OF  NANTUCKET  SHOALS — BLOCK  ISLAND  AND  NO  MAN?S  LAND — 
.PILOT  DAGGETT— THE  PILOT  OF  THE  "BIBB" — ANECDOTES— ORDERED 
TO  THE  "PRINCETON"  — A  NIGHT  WITH  THE  "SPIRIT-RAPPERS  " — AM  DE 
TACHED  FROM  THE  "'PRINCETON"  AND  ORDERED  TO  THE  "  CYANE." 

UPON  the  conclusion  of  the  court-martial  on  Captain  Mars- 
ton,  before  which  I  appeared  as  a  witness,  I  was  granted  the 
usual  three  months'  "  leave."  While  at  home  on  this  "  leave  " 
I  was  frequently  requested  by  my  mother  and  sister,  who  were 
not  visiting  at  the  time,  to  call  on  their  friend  Miss  Zanes,  who 
was  living  at  one  of  the  largest  private  boarding-houses  in  the 
city.  I  never  returned  from  a  walk  that  I  was  not  asked  if  I 
had  called  upon  Miss  Zanes,  until  it  became  at  last  a  house 
hold  word.  Being  very  bashful  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
calling  alone  and  introducing  myself,  but  finally  I  screwed  my 
courage  up  to  the  sticking  place. 

Calling  at  the  house  I  inquired  if  Miss  Zanes  was  in,  and 
being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  I  sent  up  my  card  and 
entered  the  parlor.  I  had  not  been  long  seated  when  the  door 
opened  and  a  lady  appeared.  I  met  her,  introduced  myself  as 
Passed  Midshipman  Parker  of  the  navy,  and  shook  hands  with 
her.  I  thought  she  seemed  embarrassed,  but  she  advanced  to 
the  fire  and  sat  down.  I  drew  up  a  chair  and  commenced  the 
conversation  with  an  allusion  to  certain  atmospherical  changes, 
etc.,  but  I  made  but  little  headway.  Miss  Zanes  is  quiet  and 
timid,  I  thought,  I  must  endeavor  to  bring  her  out.  While  re 
volving  in  my  mind  the  best  manner  of  accomplishing  this  the 
door  opened  and  another  lady  appeared ;  she  had  her  hat  on.  It 
flashed  across  me  in  a  moment !  I  had  made  a  mistake.  This 
was  Miss  Zanes ;  she  had  been  out  walking,  and  had  just  come 
in  and  heard  of  my  being  in  the  parlor.  I  advanced  to  the 


ORDERED  TO  BRIG  WASHINGTON.  155 

door,  bowed,  introduced  myself  as  Passed  Midshipman  Parker 
of  the  navy,  and  shook  her  warmly  by  the  hand ;  at  the  same 
time  congratulating  myself  upon  my  self-possession  and  per 
ception.  She  went  to  the  fire,  took  a  seat,  and  entered  into 
conversation  with  the  first  lady.  I  also  took  a  chair  and  occa 
sionally  tried  to  get  a  word  in  edgeways,  (so  to  speak)  ;  but  in 
a  little  while  they  both  rose  and  went  to  the  window  and  sat 
down  in  the  alcove.  Well,  I  thought,  this  is  a  most  extraor 
dinary  proceeding  on  the  part  of  Miss  Zanes !  But  I  could 
not  remain  alone  at  the  fire-place,  so  I  picked  up  a  chair  and 
followed  them.  The  mischief  of  it  was  that  I  was  not  certain 
now  which  was  Miss  Zanes  !  I  became  somewhat  confused  and 
rather  red  in  the  face.  I  did  the  best  I  could  under  these 
novel  circumstances  and  put  in  a  remark  now  and  then  to 
which  they  did  not  deign  to  reply.  While  meditating  a  retreat, 
and  not  exactly  sure  as  to  which  one  to  shake  hands  with  in 
making  mes  adieux  the  door  opened,  and  a  third  lady  appeared 
upon  the  scene ! 

By  George,  said  I  to  myself,  I  have  been  all  wrong,  this  must 
be  Miss  Zanes !  I  advanced  to  meet  her,  introduced  myself  as 
before,  and  fortunately  for  my  brain  it  was  Miss  Zanes :  the 
real  Simon  pure.  I  begged  her  to  explain  to  the  other  ladies 
that  I  was  not  an  escaped  lunatic  with  a  mania  for  introducing 
myself  to  people;  shook  her  very  warmly  by  the  hand  and 
evaporated  through  the  front  door.  If  Miss  Zanes  had  not 
made  her  appearance  when  she  did  I  would  have  introduced 
myself  to  all  the  boarders  in  the  Butler  house  (as  it  was  just 
before  the  dinner  hour)  and  would  probably  have  ended  by 
being  sent  to  an  asylum.  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  meet 
ing  Miss  Zanes  from  that  day  to  this. 

At  the  expiration  of  my  "  leave"  I  was  ordered  to  the  survey 
ing  brig  Washington,  lieutenant  commanding  S.  Swartwout. 
The  party  was  in  charge  of  lieutenant  commanding  Charles  H. 
McBlair,  and  consisted  of  the  steamer  Bibb,  the  brig  Washing 
ton  and  a  small  schooner  which  we  chartered  for  the  season. 
We  spent  the  summer  of  1851  in  surveying  the  Nan  tucket 


156        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

Shoals,  and  what  with  gales  of  wind  and  fogs  we  did  not  get  a 
great  many  working  days.  I  had  the  command  of  the 
"  tender,"  and  when  we  did  have  fair  weather  would  have  to 
sit  upon  deck  from  about  4  A.  M.  till  8  in  the  evening  taking 
an  angle  every  five  minutes.  I  found  it  uninteresting  as  well 
as  hard  work  and  was  not  sorry  when  the  season  was  over. 

Happening  to  ride  out  a  gale  on  the  shoals  I  compre 
hended  how  so  many  small  fishing  vessels  are  lost  on  the 
banks ;  for  if  one  holds  on  too  long  she  will  swamp  before  a 
man  can  get  forward  to  slip  the  chain ;  indeed  it  is  impossible 
to  do  so. 

We  did  some  independent  work  in  the  Washington  after 
wards  off  Block  island  and  No-man's-land.  Block  island  and 
Nantucket  were  primitive  places  in  those  days,  but  are  now 
popular  summer  resorts.  Our  pilot,  Mr.  Daggett,  had  been 
the  pilot  of  the  frigate  Congress  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  re 
lated  many  interesting  incidents  concerning  it.  He  said  they 
were  once  nine  months  at  sea  without  going  into  port.  The 
present  Commodore  Ingraham  who  was  a  midshipman  in  the 
ship  has  since  corroborated  many  of  Daggett's  statements. 
The  pilot  of  the  Bibb  was  quite  another  character ;  brought 
up  on  Nantucket  island,  going  to  sea  in  the  summer  and 
working  at  his  trade  in  the  winter,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
original  men  I  have  ever  met.  He  had  a  fund  of  anecdotes, 
and  most  of  them  were  out  of  the  usual  run  of  sea-yarns ; 
one  was  of  a  man  who  was  taken  very  ill  from  having  eaten 
twelve  lobsters.  The  doctor  not  relieving  him  of  his  pain,  he 
went  off  and  commenced  praying  as  follows :  "  Oh  Lord,  you 
know  I  am  not  like  those  Methodist  fellows  who  are  always 
praying  for  help  and  doing  nothing  for  themselves — but  if 
you  will  relieve  me  of  six  of  these  lobsters  I'll  try  and  grapple 
with  the  other  half-dozen  myself." 

We  laid  the  Washington  up  in  New  York  in  October,  and 
then  went  to  Washington  for  the  winter,  where  we  were  em 
ployed  in  office  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  preparations  were  being  made  for 


A  NIGHT  WITH  THE  "SPIRIT  RAPPERS."   157 

Commodore  Perry's  Japan  expedition.  I  was  ordered  to  the 
Princeton,  a  new  screw  sloop  just  completed  at  the  Boston 
Yard  and  designated  as  one  of  the  vessels  of  the  squadron. 

I  had  a  very  curious  experience  with  the  "  spirit  rappers  " 
the  night  I  arrived  in  Boston.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  the  ex 
citement  caused  by  the  revelations  of  the  Fox  girls,  and  there 
were  more  or  less  believers  in  every  town  in  New  England.  I 
met  at  the  Tremont  House  my  friends  Passed  Midshipmen  Hare 
and  Selden,  the  first  a  "  true  believer,"  the  latter  a  sceptic  in  the 
rapping  business,  and  they  proposed  that  we  should  visit  a  "  me 
dium  "  that  night.  Before  starting  it  was  decided  that  Hare 
should  be  the  questioner  and  that  he  should  summon  up  the  spirit 
of  a  Passed  Midshipman  Simmons,  who  had  been  drowned  ofl 
the  coast  of  Brazil  a  year  before.  Simmons  was  a  friend  of  mine, 
but  an  enemy  of  Hare.  We  got  to  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Leroy 
Sunderland  about  midnight  and  were  ushered  into  a  back 
parlor  where  we  found  the  "  medium  "  seated.  She  was  a  pale, 
delicate-looking  young  woman,  of  nervous  temperament  and  a 
frightened  air.  She  had  the  appearance  of  a  person  addicted 
'to  the  use  of  narcotics.  She  was  very  lady-like  in  her  dress 
and  manner,  and  for  a  few  minutes  we  sat  around  the  table, 
which  was  an  ordinary  mahogany  centre-table,  engaged  in 
conversation.  After  awhile  the  spirit  of  Simmons  made  its 
arrival  known  by  a  series  of  raps  under  the  table,  and  we 
proceeded  to  business.  I  should  mention  that  we  were  each 
provided  with  a  pencil  and  a  card  with  the  alphabet  printed 
on  it.  All  communications  were  made  by  means  of  this  al 
phabet,  the  questioner  putting  his  pencil  on  each  letter  in 
succession,  and  the  spirit  designating  the  correct  one  by  a  rap, 
until  the  word  was  spelled  out.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  all 
Hare's  questions  were  answered  with  the  most  remarkable 
accuracy,  though  we  knew  the  "  medium  "  could  have  no  sus 
picion  of  who  we  were.  Finally  the  spirit  said  to  Hare  :  "  I 
do  not  like  you  and  will  not  answer  any  more  questions."  I 
must  say  I  was  staggered  at  this  reply  and  I  suspect  showed 
it.  The  "  medium  "  then  said  to  the  spirit :  "  Is  there  any  person 


158        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

in  the  room  you  will  answer  ?  "  The  reply  was  indicated  by  the 
table  moving  sharply  up  against  my  breast !  The  "  medium  " 
directed  me  to  ask  a  question  and  I  confess  that  the  whole 
proceeding  had  astonished  me  so  much  that  I  could  scarcely 
keep  my  hand  from  trembling.  However,  I  asked  a  question, 
and  it  being  by  this  time  very  late  I  thought  it  well  to  break 
up  the  seance ;  so  I  put  my  foot  under  the  table  and  tilted  it. 
The  "  medium "  instantly  rose  and  said  there  would  be  no 
more  communications,  that  some  one  had  tilted  the  table.  I 
"  acknowledged  the  corn  "  (no  pun-ish-ment),  and  we  all  en 
gaged  in  conversation  again.  The  "  medium "  now  turned 
her  attention  especially  to  me ;  she  said  I  could  become  a  first- 
class  medium ;  that  she  knew  I  was  sceptical  then,  but  that 
if  I  would  only  have  faith  I  would  become  a  far  better  medium 
than  she ;  that  my  appearance  indicated  it ;  (by  the  way,  con 
sidering  the  appearance  of  the  young  lady,  and  that  of  Mr. 
Leroy  Sunderland  himself,  this  was  not  so  much  of  a  compli 
ment  as  one  might  suppose),  and  gave  many  other  good  reasons 
for  her  belief.  So  earnest  was  she  in  this  that  after  we  had 
left  the  room  she  called  me  back  and  said  the  "  spirits  "  would 
do  almost  anything  to  make  me  a  "  true  believer,"  and  that 
if  I  wished  it  they  would  rap  on  the  head  of  my  bed  that 
night!  I  assured  her  that  I  would  come  again  to  see  the 
"  spirits  "  and  that  I  did  not  wish  them  to  rap  on  the  head  of 
my  bed ;  I  was  most  impressive  on  this  point.  I  felt  nervous 
enough  without  that. 

We  returned  to  the  hotel  and  I  went  to  bed.  I  was 
awakened  by  hearing  a  spirit  talking  to  me.  I  opened  my 
eyes  and  saw  a  dim  outline  of  something  clothed  in  white  robes. 
Although  I  could  not  exactly  hear  the  words  I  knew  that  the 
spirit  said :  "  We  are  anxious  to  convert  you ;  get  up  and  you 
will  see  something  wonderful ;"  I  rose  in  bed  and  saw  directly 
in  front  of  me  a  cross  of  fire  !  I  lay  down  again  completely 
dazed,  and  convinced  that  this  was  a  revelation.  Just  then  I 
heard  the  "  boots"  in  the  passage,  and  this  gave  me  courage. 
I  rose  again  and  at  first  saw  the  cross  of  fire  as  before — gazing 


ORDERED  TO  THE  CYANE.  159 

steadily  at  it  I  rose  and  walked  towards  it.  The  inside  shut 
ters  of  my  room  were  in  two  parts,  and  the  first  gleam  of  the 
rising  sun  shining  on  them  had  made  the  burning  cross.  It 
was  not  until  I  had  actually  touched  the  shutter  that  the  illu 
sion  was  dispelled,  and  if  I  had  not  risen  the  second  time  I 
suppose  I  should  have  become  a  spiritualist.  I  went  many 
times  after  this  to  see  them,  and  I  observed  that  while  my 
friend  Hare's  questions  were  always  answered  correctly,  mine 
never  were.  I  thought  that  perhaps  the  "  mediums"  were  ex 
pert  physiognomists — they  watched  the  face  of  the  questioner 
as  he  rested  his  pencil  on  the  letter,  and  remembered  that  "  the 
wish  is  father  to  the  thought." 

I  reported  for  the  Princeton  as  ordered.  She  was  a  long, 
narrow  vessel  with  a  great  shear,  and  not  at  all  adapted  to  the 
naval  service.  We  were  towed  to  Baltimore  by  the  Mississippi 
to  take  in  the  machinery,  which  had  been  contracted  for.  Com 
mander  Sidney  Smith  Lee  wras  ordered  to  command  her,  and 
my  dear  friend  and  mentor,  Frank  Murray,  was  one  of  the 
lieutenants.  I  should  have  been  charmed  to  sail  with  them, 
but  finding  there  was  no  chance  of  the  ship  getting  to  sea  be 
came  impatient  and  exchanged  into  the  sloop-of-war  Cyane, 
Captain  George  N.  Hollins,  at  Norfolk,  bound  to  the  West 
Indies.  I  may  say  here  that  the  Princeton  never  did  get  to 
sea ;  she  was  a  miserable  failure  in  every  respect,  and  was 
finally  sent  to  Philadelphia  to  end  her  days  as  a  receiving  ship. 


160        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

JOIN  THE  "CYANE" — BAD  NAVIGATION — HAVANA — THE  LOPEZ  EXPEDITION 

— KEY  WEST — THE  DRY  TORTUGAS — PENSACOLA — COMMODORE  J.  T.  NEW 
TON — GREYTOWN — THE  NICARAGUA  ROUTE— A  TRIP  UP  THE  SAN  JUAN 
DEL  NORTE  — CASTILLO— JOIN  A  FLYING  SQUADRON  AT  PORTSMOUTH, 
N.  H. — EASTPORT — ST.  JOHNS — THE  BAY  OF  FUNDY — CAPTAIN  GEO.  N. 
HOLLINS — A  SUNKEN  ROCK — AN  OLD  TIME  DUTCH  COMMANDER — THE 
GULF  OF  ST.  LAWRENCE — DETACHED  FROM  THE  "  CYANE" — THE  "  CYANE" 

BOMBARDS  GREYTOWN— THE  ISTHMUS  OF  DAR1EN — STRAIN'S  EXPEDITION 
— CAPTAIN  PREVOST'S  EXPERIENCE — THE  DARIEN  AND  MOSQUITO  IN 
DIANS. 

I  REPORTED  on  board  the  Cyane  in  July,  1852,  and  did  not 
much  fancy  going  into  the  steerage  again  after  having  been 
sailing  master  of  a  ship  for  two  years ;  but  my  rank  did  not 
entitle  me  to  be  detailed  as  such  from  the  navy  department,  so 
I  had  to  take  my  chance  of  an  acting  appointment  as  I  had 
done  in  going  to  the  coast  of  Africa.  We  went  from  Norfolk 
to  New  York  for  a  draft  of  men  to  complete  our  crew,  and  in 
the  Fall  sailed  for  Havana.  Our  master  was  not  by  any  means 
an  expert  in  the  art  of  navigating  a  ship,  and  in  attempting  to 
go  through  the  Hole  in  the  Wall  came  very  near  plumping  us 
on  Abaco  Island ;  however  we  got  to  Havana  without  further 
mishap  and  after  remaining  there  a  few  days  sailed  for  Pen- 
sacola.  Here  we  found  orders  to  return  to  Havana.  On  this 
trip  our  master  got  entirely  out  of  his  reckoning ;  we  made 
the  land  on  the  fourth  day  out,  and  at  sunset  hove  to  off  what 
he  said  was  Havana.  We  thought  it  very  strange  that  the 
light  could  not  be  seen ;  but  there  is  always  much  delicacy 
observed  in  such  cases  in  the  navy,  and  no  one  had  a  word  to 
say.  That  night  I  had  the  mid  watch,  and  at  1*2  o'clock  re 
lieved  the  master  who  told  me  the  orders  were  to  keep  the  beach 
in  sight.  The  ship  was  under  topsails,  foresail  and  jib  and 


BAD  NAVIGATION.  161 

was  sailing  along  the  land  with  a  light  breeze,  instead  of  being 
hove  to  with  her  head  off  shore  as  she  should  have  been.  Not 
liking  the  look  of  things  I  made  the  master  write  the  orders 
on  the  log  slate. 

About  1  o'clock  the  lookout  in  the  lee  gangway  reported 
a  boat  in  sight,  and  stepping  to  leeward  I  saw  a  fishing  boat  at 
anchor.  Knowing  we  must  be  pretty  close  to  the  land  I  wore 
ship  close  around  the  boat,  and  stood  off  shore.  At  3  A.  M.  I 
tacked  ship  and  stood  in  shore  again  for  the  purpose  of  putting 
the  ship  as  near  the  position  in  which  I  took  charge  of  her  as 
possible.  At  4  when  the  watch  was  called  we  were  nearly  as 
close  to  tlje  land  as  at  12,  and  when  my  relief  (who  was  a  slow 
coach)  came  up  we  just  had  the  beach  in  sight  as  directed.  I 
told  my  relief  that  he  had  better  tack  ship  at  once,  stand  off 
shore  for  an  hour,  and  by  that  time  it  would  be  light  enough 
for  him  to  see.  He  said  he  would  do  so.  I  went  below  and 
waited  anxiously  to  hear  the  order  "  ready  about,"  which  at  last 
came.  As  the  ship  went  round  I  commenced  to  undress,  but 
just  as  she  came  head  to  wind  she  struck  and  was  soon  hard 
and  fast  aground.  All  hands  were  soon  on  deck  and  the 
stream  anchor  was  carried  out  astern.  The  ship  did  not  make 
any  water,  and  by  8  o'clock  we  had  her  afloat  again  without 
having  had  to  start  the  water  or  throw  anything  overboard ; 
but  it  was  a  narrow  escape.  We  found  upon  inquiring  of 
some  fishermen  who  came  off  that  we  were  near  Bahia  Honda, 
45  miles  west  of  Havana ! 

Captain  Hollins  was  a  very  cool,  prompt  seaman,  and 
handled  his  ship  well  on  this  occasion.  I  was  much  struck 
with  his  manner  upon  reaching  the  deck.  He  did  not  ask  any 
unnecessary  questions ;  he  recognized  the  fact  that  the  vessel 
was  on  shore  and  must  be  gotten  off,  and  he  proceeded  to  take 
steps  to  accomplish  it.  Indeed  he  never  did  call  the  master  to 
account  either  for  being  so  much  out  in  his  reckoning,  or  for 
not  heaving  the  ship  to  with  her  head  off  shore  as  he  had 
ordered  him  to  do.  I  thought  myself  he  should  not  have  over 
looked  this  latter  point. 


162        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Havana  our  third  lieutenant  was  in 
valided  which  promoted  me  to  master,  and  a  few  days  after 
wards  the  Fulton  came  in  with  Vice  President  King  on  board, 
short  of  officers.  Our  former  master  was  sent  to  her,  and  I 
became  an  acting  lieutenant,  and  Passed  Midshipman  Van 
Zandt  was  made  master. 

Our  stay  at  Havana  was  not  marked  by  any  incidents  of 
importance.  The  relations  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain  were  rather  strained  in  consequence  of  the  expedition  of 
Lopez  in  1850.  In  April  of  that  year  Lopez  landed  at  Car 
denas  with  about  six  hundred  men,  and  after  an  obstinate 
engagement  succeeded  in  taking  the  town.  He  was  afterwards 
forced  to  fly,  and  with  some  others  escaped  to  the  United 
States.  The  Cubans  treated  the  prisoners  with  unnecessary 
cruelty,  not  to  say  barbarity ;  and  the  feeling  against  Americans 
was  very  bitter  at  this  time. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Lopez  made  another  attempt  in 
the  summer  of  1857  with  480  men.  On  the  llth  of  August 
he  landed  on  the  northern  coast  of  Cuba,  where  he  left  Colonel 
Crittenden  and  100  men,  and  started  to  the  interior  expecting 
to  be  joined  by  the  people.  He  was  disappointed.  His  army 
was  attacked  and  dispersed.  Crittenden  and  his  party  were 
captured  and  shot.  Lopez  and  six  of  his  companions  were 
also  captured,  and  afterwards  executed  at  Havana  by  the  gar' 
rote.  The  recent  attempts  of  the  Cubans  to  attain  their  in 
dependence,  and  the  shooting  of  Captain  Fry  and  others  need 
not  be  repeated  here.  These  expeditions  cannot  be  justified 
by  any  international  laws  or  customs. 

We  gave  a  ball  during  our  stay,  but  it  was  principally  at 
tended  by  Americans  and  English,  and  we  saw  but  little  of 
Cuban  society  in  any  of  our  subsequent  visits.  We  managed 
to  enjoy  ourselves  riding  about  the  neighborhood  in  volantes, 
visiting  the  Tacon  theatre  and  the  cafe  Dominica,  the  most 
charming  cafe  I  have  ever  seen  in  any  country. 

From  Havana  we  went  to  Key  West  where  we  spent  two 
weeks  very  pleasantly.  The  citizens  we  found  very  kind  and 


THE  DR  Y  TOR  TUG  AS.  163 

hospitable  and  several  balls  were  given  us.  The  Cyane  had 
now  been  several  years  in  commission  and  was  overrun  by  rats. 
The  men  were  so  much  annoyed  by  them  that  they  could  find 
no  comfort  in  their  hammocks.  Reinforcements  joined  them 
at  every  port  in  spite  of  all  our  precautions,  and  it  had  come 
to  such  a  point  that  we  had  to  take  steps  to  get  rid  of  them ; 
so  Captain  Hollins  decided  to  go  to  the  Tortugas  islands  and 
"  smoke"  the  ship.  The  Tortugas  were  surveyed  in  1829  by 
the  late  Commodore  Tattnall  and  the  following  year  the  Gov 
ernment  commenced  extensive  fortifications  on  them.  At  the 
time  of  our  visit  the  fort  was  not  garrisoned,  an  ordnance 
sergeant  being  in  charge. 

We  ran  the  ship  alongside  the  coral  reef  and  made  her  fast 
as  though  alongside  a  wharf.  The  air  ports  and  hatches  being 
carefully  caulked  in,  charcoal  fires  were  lit  along  the  berth 
deck  and  in  the  holds,  on  platforms  of  sand.  The  carbonic 
acid  gas  formed,  being  heavier  than  the  air,  sinks  and  the  rats 
are  driven  up  from  below.  Tubs  of  water  were  placed  along 
the  deck,  and  as  the  gas  makes  the-  rats  thirsty  they  are  found 
around  these  tubs.  The  officers  and  the  crew  bivouacked  on 
the  island  for  two  days  and  nights.  We  then  returned  to  the 
ship  and  removed  the  hatches.  I  am  afraid  to  tell  how  many 
dead  rats  we  took  from  the  berth  deck  and  store  rooms ;  but  we 
were  not  troubled  with  them  again  during  the  cruise,  nor  did 
any  seem  to  have  died  in  the  hold  of  the  ship. 

From  the  Tortugas  we  went  to  Pensacola  where  we  found 
the  frigate  Columbia,  bearing  the  flag  of  Commodore  John  T. 
Newton.  Commodore  Newton,  though  brave  and  intrepid, 
met  with  almost  as  much  ill  fortune  at  sea  as  Admiral  Byron 
who  was  nicknamed  by  his  sailors  "  Foul-weather  Jack."  He 
was  a  lieutenant  on  board  the  Hornet  when  she  took  the  Pen 
guin  in  1815,  and  a  sword  presented  to  him  for  his  gallantry 
on  this  occasion  bore  the  inscription,  "  Fortune  favors  the 
brave"  It  did  not  apply  in  his  case,  however.  He  was  un 
fortunate  enough  to  once  lose  an  officer  and  boat's  crew  off 
Havana ;  he  commanded  the  old  steamer  Fulton  which  blew 


164        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

up  at  the  New  York  Navy  Yard  by  the  explosion  of  her 
magazine ;  in  1852  he  was  ordered  to  command  the  steamer 
Missouri,  a  sister  ship  to  the  Mississippi ;  in  her  he  went  to 
Washington — the  ship  got  ashore  in  the  Potomac,  and  a  lieu 
tenant  and  some  men  were  drowned  in  carrying  out  an  anchor  in 
the  launch;  finally  the  Missouri  was  burned  at  Gibraltar. 
The  commodore  was  a  remarkably  handsome  man,  of  tall, 
elegant  figure  and  graceful  carriage.  He  was  extremely 
courteous  to  his  officers. 

At  this  time  (March,  1853,)  the  Nicaragua  route  between 
New  York  and  San  Francisco  was  doing  a  good  business  ;  the 
trip  between  the  two  places  was  sometimes  made  in  nineteen 
days,  which  was  shorter  than  via  Panama.  The  steamer  from 
New  York  went  to  Greytown  (San  Juan  de  Nicaragua)  and  there 
the  passengers  were  put  on  board  light-draft,  stern- wheel  steam 
boats,  which  went  up  the  San  Juan  river  to  Lake  Nicaragua. 
Here,  at  a  village  called  Fort  San  Carlos,  they  were  transferred 
to  commodious  side- wheel  steamboats  in  which  they  crossed  the 
lake  to  Virgin  Bay,  and  from  Virgin  Bay  they  crossed  in  a 
conveyance  of  some  kind  to  San  Juan  del  Sur,  a  distance  of 
ten  miles,  and  went  on  board  the  ocean  steamer  for  San  Fran 
cisco. 

Greytown  on  the  Mosquito  coast  claimed  to  be  under  the 
protection  of  England,  though  this  was  a  matter  of  dispute. 
The  whole  Mosquito  coast  had  been  under  the  protection  of 
the  British  for  many  years ;  but  in  1850  the  jealousy  of  the 
United  States  having  long  existed  on  this  subject,  the  two ; 
governments  covenanted  "  not  to  occupy,  or  fortify,  or  colonize, 
or  assume  or  exercise  any  dominion  over  any  part  of  Central 
America."  The  matter  was  finally  settled  in  1857  by  Nica 
ragua  taking  possession  of  it. 

The  town  at  the  time  of  our  visit  in  the  spring  of  1853  was 
inhabited  by  a  lawless  set  of  desperadoes,  of  all  nations,  who 
had  organized  some  kind  of  a  city  government.  The  mayor 
was  said  to  have  been  an  escaped  convict  from  Sing  Sing, 
and  I  believe  it  was  so,  for  the  others  were  evidently  tarred 


GREYTOWN.  165 

with  the  same  brush.  They  resembled  the  old  buccaneers  in 
everything  save  courage. 

These  people  made  a  living  by  preying  upon  the  passengers 
passing  to  and  from  California,  of  whom  large  numbers  were 
detained  at  Greytown  a  day  or  two  at  a  time  on  their  passage : 
more  by  design  than  by  accident.  Nearly  every  house  in  town 
was  a  hotel.  The  harbor  here  is  formed  by  an  island  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  lying  opposite  Greytown ;  on  this  island 
the  steamship  company  had  its  store-houses,  and  as  long  as  the 
passengers  were  detained  occasionally  and  sent  ashore  in  the 
town  to  pass  a  night  or  two  everything  went  smoothly ;  but 
finally  the  company  decided  to  build  a  hotel  on  the  island  to 
keep  the  passengers  on  their  side  of  the  river  during  the  transit 
and  to  prohibit  their  landing  at  Greytown  at  all ;  to  do  all  the 
"  skinning"  itself  in  fact.  This  was  more  than  the  Greytowners 
could  stand  and  they  declared  war  to  the  knife.  Getting  wind 
of  this  state  of  affairs  the  Cyane  went  there  to  keep  the  peace. 
We  arrived  the  very  night  the  island  was  to  be  stormed  and 
sacked,  and  landed  a  force  to  protect  it.  The  Greytown  gen 
tlemen  decided  to  postpone  the  attack  until  our  departure. 
We  kept  our  men  on  the  island  for  a  few  days  and  the  captain 
then  issued  a  proclamation  which  he  had  posted  in  Greytown 
forbidding  the  inhabitants  going  there  without  first  obtaining 
permission  from  the  Cyane.  He  was  soundly  abused  by  them 
for  this,  but  bore  it  philosophically,  especially  as  the  proclama 
tion  was  obeyed.  We  remained  here  seventy  mortal  days,  the 
dreariest  time  I  ever  passed  in  any  foreign  port,  and  that  is 
saying  a  good  deal.  Our  only  excitement  was  caused  by  the 
arrival  of  the  steamers  from  New  York  and  New  Orleans  which 
made  fortnightly  trips  and  brought  us  our  mails,  and  the 
arrival  of  the  steamers  from  Lake  Nicaragua  with  the  San 
Francisco  passengers. 

I  noticed  a  difference  in  the  deportment  of  the  outgoing  and 
incoming  passengers ;  those  going  out  were  full  of  fun  and 
frolic,  while  those  returning  were  more  quiet,  I  suppose  be 
cause  they  had  either  lost  all  hope  or  had  made  small  fortunes 


166         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

which  they  carried  about  their  persons  and  were  careful  not 
to  exhibit.  In  company  with  some  of  our  officers  I  made  a 
trip  up  the  river  as  far  as  Castillo  in  one  of  the  company's 
boats.  Castillo,  so  called  from  an  old  Spanish  fort  built  here 
to  command  the  river,  is  about  15  miles  from  the  lake.  It  was 
once  taken  by  the  English  under  Lord  Nelson  (then  a  post 
captain)  and  he  lost  a  large  number  of  men  by  fever.  It  is 
situated  on  a  high  hill  overlooking  a  bend  in  the  river  and 
presents  a  most  romantic  appearance — all  ruins  do.  In  travel 
ing  in  these  countries  one  is  surprised  to  see  so  many  solidly 
built  fortifications.  The  old  saying  is :  "  The  Spanish  build 
forts,  the  French  take  them,  and  the  English  hold  them." 
We  remained  in  Castillo  a  week  and  then  went  down  the  river 
in  a  crowded  boat  with  the  California  passengers  which  we  had 
not  bargained  for — there  was  no  distinction  made  between  cabin 
and  steerage  passengers,  and  as  the  latter  made  a  practice  of 
shooting  across  the  deck  at  alligators  on  the  banks,  promenading 
was  unhealthy — so  we  had  to  sit  huddled  together  for  three 
days.  The  man  next  me  had  the  small-pox. 

To  add  to  our  discomfort  on  board  the  Cyane  we  would  oc 
casionally  find  snakes;  they  would  come  floating  down  the 
river  on  drift  wood,  &c.,  and  run  up  our  cables.  This  was  a 
thing  I  never  could  become  used  to,  though  they  were  said  to 
be  harmless.  Our  amusements  consisted  in  fishing,  and  shoot 
ing  alligators,  or  I  should  say  of  shooting  at  alligators — for  I 
never  saw  one  killed.  We  caught  one  in  our  seine  once,  and 
wild  work  he  made  of  it.  The  men  towed  him  off  to  the  ship, 
and  we  hoisted  him  on  board  with  the  yard-tackle.  The  seine 
was  about  ruined  ;  but  we  got  the  alligator  !  I  here  first  eat 
the  Iguana,  cooked  by  a  Mosquito  Indian,  and  found  it  very 
palatable. 

At  last  the  time  came  when  we  were  getting  out  of  provi 
sions,  so  wre  sailed  for  Pensacola.  Here  we  found  orders  to  sail 
for  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  there  to  join  a  flying  squadron  under 
Commodore  W.  B.  Shubrick.  We  met  the  squadron  at  Ports 
mouth,  having  touched  at  Norfolk  on  our  way  up.  The  object 


THE  BA  Y  OF  FUND Y.  167 

of  this  flying  squadron,  which  consisted  of  four  vessels,  was  to 
protect  the  fisheries. 

The  vessels  now  separated,  each  to  visit  different  ports.  We 
went  first  to  Eastport,  Maine,  and  thence  to  St.  Johns,  K  B. 
The  tide  rises  and  falls  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  at  these 
places  and  it  is  necessary  to  bear  this  in  mind  in  selecting  an 
anchorage.  St.  Johns,  as  seen  from  a  vessel,  presents  at  high 
water  quite  a  different  appearance  from  what  it  does  at  low 
water.  We  sailed  from  this  place  with  a  southwesterly  wTind, 
and  proceeded  to  beat  out  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  The  night 
following  was  one  of  the  most  disagreeable  I  have  ever  passed 
at  sea.  I  was  navigating  the  ship  again,  and  we  were  trying 
to  make  the  light  on  Seal  island.  It  was  blowing  and  rain 
ing  :  thick  as  mud ;  the  tide  running  four  or  five  miles  an 
hour,  and  no  soundings  to  be  had.  Take  it  all  in  all  it  was 
a  most  trying  night.  The  Seal  islands  are  marked  by  the 
wrecks  of  many  vessels,  and  no  wonder — the  frequent  fogs 
alone  are  enough  to  account  for  it,  to  say  nothing  of  the  tides 
and  the  absence  of  soundings.  We  made  the  light  at  4  A.  M. 
and  shortly  after,  I  shaped  a  course  for  Cape  Sable  and  turned 
in.  I  had  a  good  joke  on  the  captain  a  little  later  in  the 
day.  We  were  running  along  the  land,  about  seven  miles  off, 
and  steering  due  south.  While  I  was  breakfasting,  the  cap 
tain  (who  was  a  very  bold  navigator  but  much  given  to 
"chaffing")  looked  down  the  hatchway  and  inquired  why  I 
kept  so  far  from  the  land,  and  "  what  I  was  afraid  of? "  I 
replied  that  I  would  explain,  and  going  to  his  cabin  I  pointed 
out  to  him  on  the  chart  a  rock  marked  with  twelve  feet  water 
on  it,  about  four  miles  off  the  land  and  directly  in  our  track. 
It  was  marked  "  doubtful,"  and  was  not  on  all  the  charts,  but 
as  I  said,  the  sea  was  so  smooth  it  would  not  break  on  it  and 
there  would  be  nothing  to  indicate  it ;  that  it  might  be  there, 
and  I  thought  it  better  to  "  guard  against  all  precautions,"  to 
use  a  slang  of  his  own.  The  captain  laughed  at  it,  said  there 
was  no  rock  there,  and  compared  me  to  old  Bainbridge  who 
"went  forty  miles  out  of  his  way  to  avoid  a  fly-speck,"  etc.,  etc., 


168        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

and  directed  me  to  haul  the  ship  in  to  within  three  or  four 
miles  of  the  land.  This  I  did,  and  soon  forgot  all  about  the 
matter.  At  meridian  I  observed  the  latitude  and  reported 
the  result  to  the  captain  as  usual,  and  then  went  to  my  room 
to  compute  the  longitude.  I  had  hardly  reached  it  when  the 
orderly  came  down  and  said  the  captain  wanted  me  immedi- 
diately.  I  hurried  up  to  the  cabin  and  found  Captain  Hollins 
plotting  our  position,  from  the  latitude  and  estimated  dis 
tance  from  the  land,  and  it  put  us  right  on  top  of  the  rock! 

He  had  consulted  some  other  charts  which  had  the  rock 
marked  down,  and  I  found  him  somewhat  disturbed.  We 
were  under  starboard  studding-sails  and  royals,  and  not  know 
ing  what  better  to  do — for  he  knew  we  would  strike  the  rock 
before  seeing  it  if  it  were  really  there  he  took  in  all  sail  and 
hove  the  ship  to.  This  extraordinary  proceeding  on  a  fine, 
clear  day,  with  a  fair  wind,  no  doubt  caused  "  Jack "  much 
surprise:  but  we  gave  no  explanation,  and  "Jack"  is  not 
much  given  to  asking  one.  About  2  o'clock  we  filled  away 
and  made  all  sail  without  seeing  any  signs  of  the  rock; 
whether  it  exists  or  not  I  do  not  know,  but  it  was  a  long  time 
before  the  captain  said  "  rocks  "  or  "  fly-specks  "  to  me  again. 

Captain  Hollins  was  one  of  the  most  agreeable  men  I  have 
ever  sailed  with ;  a  prime  seaman,  he  did  not  bother  himself 
about  trifles ;  but  in  a  time  of  danger  all  under  his  command 
looked  up  to  him  and  depended  upon  him.  As  an  example  of 
his  readiness  I  may  mention  one  incident,  although  it  occurred 
after  I  had  left  the  ship.  The  Cyane  was  running  along  the 
coast  of  New  Jersey,  in  thick  weather,  and  getting  too  close 
in  struck  on  one  of  the  dangerous  shoals  off  Little  Egg  har 
bor.  Captain  H.  sprang  up  on  deck,  clewed  up  everything, 
and  let  go  the  anchor.  The  weather  clearing  up  just  at  this 
time  several  boats  were  seen  making  for  the  ship  (which 
was  then  afloat  and  riding  to  her  anchor)  in  great  haste.  As 
the  first  boat  got  alongside  a  man  sprung  up  the  ship's  side 
and  called  out  in  an  excited  manner :  "  I'll  wreck  this  ship ; 
I  claim  her,"  etc.,  etc.  Captain  H.  in  a  quiet  manner  asked 


THE  GULF  OF  ST.  LA  WHENCE.  169 

him  what  he  meant.  "  Why,  I  thought  you  were  on  shore 
and  wanted  assistance,"  said  the  man.  "  Oh  no,"  said  Hol- 
lins — "  I've  only  come  in  to  take  a  look  at  the  harbor."  After 
some  conversation  of  the  same  kind  the  man  agreed  to  pilot 
the  Cyane  out  through  the  shoals  for  the  sum  of  ten  dollars ! 

The  captain  used  to  relate  a  conversation  he  once  had  with 
a  Dutch  captain  who  took  part  in  the  bombardment  of  Algiers 
under  Lord  Exmouth  in  1816.  Three  Dutch  frigates  which 
happened  to  be  lying  at  Gibraltar  when  the  English  squadron 
arrived  asked  for  and  obtained  permission  to  join  it  in  the  pro 
posed  expedition  and  they  rendered  good  service.  The  Dutch 
man  was  complaining  to  Captain  Hollins  that  the  English 
papers  did  not  give  them  proper  credit  for  their  action,  &c., 
&c.  "  But,"  said  Captain  H.,  "  the  Dutch  papers  mentioned 
it,  did  they  no't?"  "  Oh  yes !"  was  the  reply,  "  de  Dutch  papers 
mentioned  it,  but  who  de  debble  ever  reads  de  Dutch  papers  ?" 

It  used  to  be  said  when  I  was  a  midshipman  that  one  of  our 
vessels  once  killed  a  man  on  board  a  Dutch  frigate  while  firing 
a  salute — the  gunner  had  neglected  to  draw  the  shot  from  one 
of  the  guns.  The  American  captain  was  much  mortified  and 
distressed  at  the  occurrence  and  sent  a  lieutenant  on  board  to 
express  his  regrets.  The  lieutenant  found  the  Dutch  captain 
coolly  smoking  his  pipe  and  made  the  proper  explanations,  &c. 
"  Oh !"  said  the  captain :  "  There  are  plenty  more  Dutchmen 
in  Holland!" 

We  rounded  Cape  Sable,  and  passing  by  Halifax  went 
through  the  Straits  of  Canso  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 
We  saw  here  some  of  the  grandest  scenery  I  have  ever  be 
held;  Cape  Breton  island  on  one  side  and  Nova  Scotia  on  the 
other.  I  really  had  no  expectation  of  it  as  I  had  never  seen 
it  mentioned.  It  only  proves,  wrhat  is  often  said,  that  Americans 
need  not  leave  their  own  continent  for  magnificent  scenery.  I 
should  like  to  describe  the  appearance  of  these  straits  as  we 
entered  them  in  the  Cyane  in  September,  1853.  I  have  the 
idea,  but  cannot  find  words  to  express  it.  I  am,  in  point  of 
fact,  somewhat  in  the  condition  of  Mr.  Toots'  tailor  "  who  had 


170        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

a  pair  of  pantaloons  in  his  mind,  but  couldn't  cut  them  out." 
Not  the  first  author  who  has  found  himself  in  the  same  pre 
dicament. 

Our  orders  were  to  "  sight "  the  Magdalen  islands,  and  then 
sail  around  Cape  Breton  island  on  our  way  home.  We  had  a 
fair  wind  and  shaped  a  course  directly  for  these  islands  which 
we  expected  to  see  about  11  p.  M.  I  had  read  in  the  sailing 
directions  that  the  "  light/'  was  very  carelessly  kept  and  some 
times  not  lighted  at  all,  and  as  the  night  was  very  dark  I  could 
not  help  feeling  uneasy  and  I  several  times  remarked  to  the 
captain  that  perhaps  he  had  better  heave  to  until  daylight. 
But  he  was  anxious  to  get  home  and  did  not  wish  to  lose  any 
time ;  he  told  me  that  all  he  wanted  was  to  "  make  the  light," 
and  he  would  then  bear  away  for  Cape  North.  I  went  forward 
and  told  the  boatswain,  whom  I  found  on  the  forecastle  this, 
and  remarked  that  all  we  wanted  was  to  make  the  light  which 
we  should  do  at  11  o'clock.  The  boatswain  said  he  would 
keep  a  lookout  himself,  and  that  he  had  no  doubt  but  that  we 
would  make  the  light  very  soon  !  Singular  to  say  just  as  the 
bell  struck  for  11  the  lookout  forward  reported  a  light  right 
ahead  !  "  Hard  aport"  said  the  captain,  and  directing  me  to 
set  the  course  he  went  below  and  turned  in,  and  I  shortly  after 
followed  his  example.  We  returned  to  Portsmouth  where  we 
found  the  commodore  and  reported  the  particulars  of  our 
cruise.  We  then  went  to  Philadelphia  where  I  was  detached 
and  ordered  to  the  Naval  Academy,  Annapolis,  as  an  Assist 
ant  Professor  of  Mathematics. 

The  Cyane  returned  to  Greytown  in  1854  and  bombarded 
it.  I  have  really  forgotten  on  what  grounds  Captain  Hollins 
did  this ;  but  it  was  a  nest  of  pirates,  and  the  pity  is  he  did 
not  destroy  the  inhabitants  and  spare  the  houses.  We  often 
hear  by  the  way  of  a  man-of-war  knocking  towns  down,  blow 
ing  them  to  pieces,  &c. ;  but  it  is  easier  said  than  done,  and 
this  I  have  always  held  to.  Greytown  was  built  entirely  of 
wood,  yet  it  stood  a  fire  of  shot  and  shell  for  four  or  five  hours, 
and  then  a  landing  party  had  to  be  sent  to  set  it  on  fire  ! 


THE  ISTHMUS  OF  DARIEN.  171 

In  the  years  1853-4  great  interest  was  felt  in  the  explora 
tions  of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  the  object  being  to  find  a  suit 
able  place  for  a  canal  between  the  two  oceans.  Not  that  the 
idea  of  a  canal  was  a  new  one  by  any  means,  for  the  Emperor 
Charles  V  sent  a  peremptory  order  to  his  governors  on  the 
isthmus  to  "  cut  a  canal,"  and  this  was  not  many  years  after 
the  discovery  of  the  Pacific  ocean  or  South  sea  as  it  was  then 
called.  It  had  long  been  thought  that  the  Darien  Indians 
knew  of  a  short  route  across  the  isthmus  if  they  could  be  got 
ten  to  reveal  it.  But  these  Indians  were  known  to  be  jealous 
of  strangers  and  very  warlike  in  their  disposition.  They  re 
main  unconquered  to  the  present  day.  Dampier  who  knew 
them  well,  having  crossed  the  isthmus  from  the  Gulf  of  San 
Miguel  in  1681,  says  in  speaking  of  a  tribe  living  on  the  Atrato 
river :  "  They  are  very  dreadful  to  the  Spaniards  and  will  not 
have. any  commerce  with  them  nor  with  any  white  people. 
They  use  tubes  about  eight  feet  long  out  of  which  they  blow 
poisoned  darts." 

Several  travelers  about  this  time  (1853)  professed  to  have 
crossed  the  isthmus  in  a  few  days"  time,  and  to  have  met  with  no 
very  high  elevations.  These  stories  are  now  known  to  be  false. 
In  reading  the  accounts  of  Davis,  Bingrose,  Wafer,  Dampier  and 
others — all  buccaneers,  and  who  were  frequently  crossing  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  17th  century — I  observe  that  the  journey 
occupied  from  twelve  to  twenty  days.  The  Indians  did  not 
know  of  a  shorter  route  then  or  they  would  have  shown  it,  be 
cause  they  were  friendly  to  the  buccaneers  who  they  knew 
were  crossing  to  the  South  sea  to  make  war  upon  the  Spaniards 
whom  they  held  in  deadly  enmity.  Lieutenant  Isaac  G.  Strain 
of  the  navy  got  permission  to  organize  a  party  and  attempt  to 
cross.  The  Cyane  took  him  and  his  companions  to  Caledonia 
Bay  in  January,  1854.  Captain  Hollins  called  a  council  of  the 
Indians  in  his  cabin  and  finally  they  consented  to  allow  the  party 
to  cross  and  to  furnish  guides.  We  all  know  the  fate  of  this  ex 
pedition.  They  started  with  1 2  "officers  and  1 3  men  on  the  20th 
of  January  with  ten  days  provisions — their  guides  left  them  the 


172        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

second  day  after  starting  and  they  wandered  helplessly  in  the 
woods  until  the  men  commenced  to  fall  down  and  die  of  hunger. 
They  were  searching  for  the  Savanna  river  to  lead  them  into 
the  Gulf  of  San  Miguel  and  they  struck  the  Chuquinaque 
which  leads  there  by  a  much  longer  route.  February  13th, 
Strain  seeing  that  he  would  lose  his  entire  party  if  help  ivas 
not  obtained  took  two  of  his  strongest  men  and  pushed  on 
ahead  leaving  the  others  to  follow  under  Passed  Midshipman 
W.  T.  Truxtun  (the  present  Commodore  Truxtun.)  Strain 
succeeded  in  getting  to  the  Gulf  of  San  Miguel  on  the  9th  of 
March,  and  there  fortunately  found  the  English  man-of-war 
Virago.  A  boat  expedition  was  immediately  fitted  out  and 
sent  up  the  river  with  the  necessary  supplies.  It  found  the 
party,  March  23d,  on  the  banks,  in  a  half  starved  condition.  It 
arrived  just  in  time.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  indomitable 
courage  and  perseverance  of  Truxtun  and  Jack  Maury  (an 
assistant  engineer  in  the  navy)  the  whole  party  would  have 
died  of  starvation.  Messrs.  Polanco  and  Castilla,  the  Colum 
bian  commissioners,  and  six  men  perished.  The  survivors  were 
taken  to  Panama,  and  finally  returned  to  the  United  States  in 
the  Cyane,  sailing  from  Panama  April  25th. 

The  mistake  made  by  Strain  was  in  taking  sailors  for  a  land 
exploration  ;  he  might  as  well  have  taken  a  party  of  children. 
These  men,  with  arms  in  their  hands,  were  starving  in  a  coun 
try  abounding  in  game !  Had  he  taken  a  few  western  hunters 
the  fate  of  the  expedition  would  have  been  different.  The 
history  (so  called)  of  this  expedition  was  written  by  Head- 
ley,  and  published  in  Harper's  Magazine.  It  is  much  to  be 
regretted  that  Commodore  Truxtun,  almost  the  only  sur 
vivor,  cannot  be  prevailed  upon  to  write  out  a  full  account 
of  it. 

In  1858  I  met  in  the  Pacific  a  Lieutenant  Moore  of  the 
British  Navy  who  gave  me  an  interesting  account  of  his 
experience  on  the  Isthmus.  He  set  out  with  Captain  Prevost 
and  a  number  of  men  to  cross  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic 
side.  They  went  up  to  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  San  Miguel  (I 


THE  DARIEN  AND  MOSQUITO  INDIANS.        173 

think)  in  boats  and  there,  hiding  a  portion  of  their  provisions, 
they  left  four  men  to  guard  the  boats,  and  started  for  the 
interior.  They  met  with  such  difficulties  that  they  made  but 
slow  progress,  and  finally  had  to  return.  When  they  got 
back  to  the  boats  they  found  the  four  men  lying  dead,  shot 
by  the  Indians  with  poisoned  arrows.  The  rest  of  the  party 
got  back  safely  to  their  ship.  These  Indians  told  Captain 
Prevost  afterward  they  would  not  have  killed  these  men  had 
they  known  they  were  English.  They  thought  they  wrere 
Spaniards,  for  whom  they  have  an  undying  hatred.  It  is 
curious  to  note  how  this  feeling  has  been  handed  down  among 
them  by  tradition.  They  still  remember  that  the  English 
crossed  the  Isthmus  in  the  early  days  to  fight  the  Spaniards, 
who  at  the  time  held  their  ancestors  in  the  most  cruel  servi 
tude  wherever  they  could  lay  hands  upon  them. 

The  same  friendship  for  the  English  exists  at  this  day  among 
the  Mosquito  Indians,  the  foundation  of  which  was  laid  by 
these  same  buccaneers.  Dampier  says  of  them :  "  They  are 
tall,  well  made,  raw-boned,  lusty,  strong  and  nimble  of  foot, 
long  visaged,  lank  black  hair,  look  stern,  hard  favored,  and 
of  a  dark  copper-cobr  complexion.  They  are  but  a  small 
nation,  and  not  one  hundred  men  of  them  in  number,  inhabit 
ing  on  the  main  near  Cape  Gratias  a  Dios.  They  are  very 
ingenious  at  throwing  the  lance,  fishgig,  and  harpoon.  They 
have  extraordinary  good  eyes,  and  will  descry  a  sail  at  sea 
farther,  and  see  anything  better  than  we.  Their  chief  employ 
ment  in  their  own  country  is  to  strike  fish  and  turtle.  For  this 
they  are  esteemed  and  coveted  by  all  privateers ;  for  one  or 
two  of  them  in  a  ship  will  maintain  a  hundred  men ;  and  it 
is  very  rare  to  find  privateers  destitute  of  one  or  more  of  them 
when  the  commander  or  most  of  the  men  are  English.  But 
they  do  not  love  the  French,  and  the  Spanish  they  hate  mor 
tally." 


174      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

REPORT  FOR  DUTY  AT  THE  NAVAL  ACADEMY — ORDERED  TO  THE  "  MER- 
RIMAC" — AUXILIARY  STEAM  POWER — SAIL  FROM  BOSTON — ARRIVAL  AT 
RIO — THE  "  GANGES"  74 — DOUBLE  CAPE  HORN  AND  ARRIVE  AT  TAL- 
CAHUANA  —  BRILLIANT  PERFORMANCE  AT  VALPARAISO  —  CHINCHA 
ISLANDS — THE  CHINESE  COOLIE  AND  THE  PERUVIAN  CHOLO  —  FIRST  IN 
HABITANTS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA — CALLAO— LIMA — THE  SPANISH  AMERI 
CAN  REPUBLICS  AND  POPULATION — PAYTA — THE  BUCCANEERS — ALEX 
ANDER  SELKIRK — JUAN  FERNANDEZ— DAMPIER — CIRCUMNAVIGATORS — 
MAGELLAN — DRAKE — THE  EARLY  SPANISH  VOYAGERS. 

I  REPORTED  for  duty  at  the  Naval  Academy  in  October, 
1853,  and  remained  there  until  June,  1857.  For  the  first  two 
years  I  was  an  instructor  in  mathematics,  and  afterwards,  in 
navigation  and  astronomy.  In  the  summer  of  1855  I  made  a 
cruise  in  the  practice  ship  Preble  with  the  midshipmen,  as  in 
structor  in  navigation  and  watch  officer ;  we  visited  Eastport, 
Portland,  Cape  Cod  and  Boston.  I  found  the  Academy  much 
improved  since  my  examination ;  the  curriculum  more  expan 
sive  ;  the  grounds  greatly  enlarged ;  and  many  new  buildings 
erected.  In  September,  1855,  I  received  my  commission  of 
lieutenant ;  having  served  just  fourteen  years  for  it.  In  the 
fall  of  1857  I  was  ordered  to  the  screwT  frigate  Merrimac,  fitting 
out  at  Boston  for  the  Pacific.  She  bore  the  flag  of  Commodore 
J.  C.  Long,  and  was  commanded  by  Commander  Hitchcock. 
The  Merrimac  was  one  of  a  class  of  steam  frigates  just  built. 
She  was  over  3,000  tons,  and  carried  a  battery  of  9  inch  Dahl- 
gren  guns  on  her  main  deck ;  and  on  the  spar  deck  two  11  inch 
Dahlgren  guns  as  bow  and  stern  chasers,  and  sixty-four  pounder 
shell  guns.  She  and  her  sister  ships  were  much  the  largest 
frigates  of  their  time.  She  was  a  fine-looking  ship,  and  her  main 
deck  with  its  powerful  battery  was  a  picture  for  a  sailor  to  be 
hold  ;  but  I  cannot  say  much  for  either  her  sailing  or  steaming 


ORDERED  TO  THE  il MERRIMAC."  175 

qualities.  She  was  very  long  (for  those  days)  and  correspond 
ingly  sluggish  in  her  movements.  She  could  "tack,"  how 
ever,  and  in  that  had  the  advantage  of  some  of  the  men-of-war 
of  the  present  day ;  but  I  believe  that  with  a  smart  breeze  an 
old  time  line-of-battle  ship  would  have  worked  round  her  in 
spite  of  her  "  auxiliary  "  steam  power.  Before  I  joined  her 
she  had  made  a  six  months  trial  cruise  and  her  officers  gave 
fabulous  accounts  of  her  speed  under  sail.  I  never  discovered 
it  myself  though  I  was  in  her  over  two  years.  I  recollect  we 
made  the  passage  from  Panama  to  Callao  in  company  with  the 
Decatur,  and  she  beat  us  in  all  the  weather  we  experienced  on 
the  trip,  yet  she  was  the  ship  that  Joe  Watkins  said,  one 
morning  got  under  the  shade  of  a  large  tree  while  sailing  along 
the  coast  of  Africa,  and  did  not  get  out  of  it  though  she  had 
a  fair  wind  all  day  ! 

"  I  cannot  tell  how  the  truth  may  be ; 
I  say  the  tale  as  'twas  said  to  me." 

As  for  her  speed  under  steam,  7  knots  was  the  maximum 
when  we  left  Boston ;  at  the  end  of  the  cruise  5  knots  was  all 
she  could  keep  up  for  24  hours.  The  fact  is  the  "  auxiliary  " 
steam  power  was  an  absurdity ;  the  ships  would  neither  steam 
nor  sail.  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  men-of-war  should 
be  provided  with  engines  and  boilers  calculated  to  give  them 
very  great  speed ;  they  need  not  use  steam  in  cruising  unless  in 
a  case  of  emergency,  and  the  exercise  of  a  ship  under  sail  would 
be  of  inconceivable  benefit  to  the  younger  officers.  While 
the  "  naval  officer  "  is  really  a  soldier,  that  is  a  military  man, 
and  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  merchant  captain  who 
simply  follows  a  mercantile  pursuit,  yet  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  it  is  just  as  essential  that  he  should  know  how  to 
manage  a  ship  as  it  is  that  a  dragoon  should  know  how  to  ride ; 
therefore  too  much  attention  cannot  be  paid  to  this  important 
point  in  the  education  of  the  young  officers  of  the  navy. 

The  Merrimao  had  a  full  complement  of  officers  and  men 
and  we  mustered  about  six  hundred  souls.  On  the  17th 


176       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

of  October  we  sailed  from  Boston  on  what  was  to  prove  a 
dull  uninteresting  cruise.  We  had  on  board  the  Hon.  R. 
Kidder  Meade  who  had  just  been  appointed  Minister  to 
Brazil.  We  had  fine  weather  on  our  way  out,  and  arrived 
at  Elo  Janeiro  in  December.  Here  we  found  the  English  74, 
Ganges,  Admiral  Baynes,  on  her  way  to  the  Pacific.  We 
frequently  fell  in  with  her  afterwards  and  knew  her  officers 
well.  Burgoyne,  who  was  lost  with  most  of  his  crew  in  the 
iron  clad  ship  Captain  in  1870  was  her  commander.  He 
was  a  bright,  pleasant  fellow,  and  I  remember  was  very  popular 
with  his  messmates  though  he  had  been  promoted  (for  his 
services  in  the  Crimea)  over  most  of  their  heads. 

We  sailed  from  Rio  towards  the  latter  part  of  December  for 
the  Pacific  ocean.  We  had  intended  going  through  the  Straits 
of  Magellan,  but  for  some  reason  the  idea  was  abandoned 
when  we  got  near  the  entrance ;  so  passing  through  the  Straits 
of  Le  Maire  we  rounded  the  much  dreaded  Cape  Horn 
without  encountering  any  bad  weather,  and  arrived  safely  at 
Talcahuana,  Chili,  early  in  February,  1858.  We  remained 
here  a  couple  of  weeks  to  refit  and  paint  ship.  It  is  the  sea 
port  of  the  more  important  town  of  Concepcion,  situated  a  few 
miles  inland,  and  is  a  large  and  safe  harbor.  We  gave  our 
men  liberty  here — a  watch  at  a  time.  They  got  into  a  row 
with  the  native  police,  or  vigilantes,  and  many  came  off  with 
cracked  skulls. 

We  sailed  from  Talcahuana  for  Valparaiso,  where  news 
had  been  received  of  our  being  on  the  coast,  and  where  our 
arrival  was  anxiously  looked  for.  They  had  heard  of  the 
splendid  new  steam  frigate  Merrimac,  and  expected  to  see  us 
dash  into  the  port  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour ;  conse 
quently  when  we  were  signalled  every  man,  woman  and  child 
made  haste  to  arrive  at  a  point  where  they  could  view  this 
magnificent  spectacle.  They  feared  the  ship  would  arrive  be 
fore  they  could  reach  the  points  selected.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
they  carried  their  dinners  with  them.  We  "  slowed  down  "  to 
about  four  knots  an  hour  as  soon  as  we  made  the  land,  and  to- 


THE  CHINESE  COOLIE.  177 

wards  sunset  crept  in,  and  after  making  a  "Judy  Fitzsimmons  " 
of  ourselves,  anchored  so  far  out  that  if  it  had  been  at  all 
hazy  our  arrival  would  not  have  been  known  in  town. 

This  was  our  usual  method  of  taking  up  an  anchorage :  but 
I  have  seen  the  Ganges,  a  ship  of  reasonable  length  and  beam, 
run  a  half-mile  inside  of  us  under  all  sail  and  make  a  "  flying 
moor,"  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  the  "  ancients." 

From  Valparaiso  we  sailed  for  the  Chinch  a  islands.  These 
islands  lie  a  few  miles  off  Pisco  on  the  Peruvian  coast,  about 
120  miles  southeast  of  Callao.  The  custom  house  is  at  Pisco  and 
all  vessels  going  to  the  islands  for  guano  enter  and  clear  there. 

The  use  of  guano  was  known  to  the  ancient  Peruvians. 
Humboldt  was  one  of  the  first  b}j  whom  it  was  brought  into 
notice  in  Europe,  and  its  importation  into  England  com 
menced  about  1839.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  there  were  forty 
or  fifty  American  vessels  here— all  large,  fine  ships  and  all  of 
which  we  boarded. 

Nothing  can  be  more  dismal  than  the  appearance  of  these 
islands,  and  nothing  more  horrible  than  living  on  them.  Not 
a  green  thing  to  be  seen — nothing  but  guano ;  the  men  live 
in  it ;  they  smell  it,  breathe  it,  and  I  suppose  taste  it  in  their 
food.  The  laborers  were  Chinese  coolies,  in  charge  of  a 
few  Peruvian  soldiers.  I  was  told  that  they  would  become 
so  desperate  that  gangs  of  them  would  commit  suicide  to 
gether  by  joining  hands  and  leaping  from  the  cliffs  into  the 
sea.  I  could  well  believe  it  after  a  brief  visit  to  the  islands ; 
and  when  a  Chinaman  once  makes  up  his  mind  to  take  his 
life  nothing  will  stop  him.  It  is  well  known  that  when  the 
Panama  railroad  was  being  built  the  Chinese  would  drown 
themselves  in  two  feet  of  water  by  sticking  their  heads  in  the 
mud  and  keeping  them  there  until  life  was  extinct. 

The  coolies  in  Chili  and  Peru  are  (or  at  least  were  at  this 
time)  little  better  than  slaves.  They  are  brought  over  from 
China,  where  they  are  bought  or  kidnapped,  and  bound  for 
a  term  of  years.  Very  few  live  to  return  to  their  own  country. 
I  have  been  on  board  the  Spanish  vessels  engaged  in  the  coolie 

8* 


178      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

trade,  and  with  their  armed  officers,  iron  gratings  over  the 
hatchways,  etc.,  they  are  fac-similes  of  the  African  slavers. 

By  the  way,  I  frequently  heard  while  on  the  coast  that  the 
first  Chinese  taken  to  Peru  could  communicate  with  the  native 
Indian  or  Cholo.  I  do  not  know  if  this  be  true,  but  I  heard 
it  from  several  sources.  That  a  point  of  so  much  importance 
should  not  excite  much  attention  will  not  surprise  those  who 
know  the  very  little  interest  these  South  Americans  attach 
to  anything  relative  to  the  former  history  of  their  country. 
Now  I  have  very  little  doubt  that  North  America  was  peo 
pled  by  tribes  coming  from  Asia  by  the  way  of  Behring's 
Straits.  They  could  have  crossed  in  their  canoes  without 
trouble,  and  the  climate  probably  modified  the  type  of  the 
North  American  Indian.  More  than  one  traveler  has  noticed 
the  similarity  of  the  Indians  on  different  sides  of  the  Straits ; 
their  customs,  some  of  which  are  very  peculiar,  are  the  same. 
There  is  absolutely  no  reason  for  looking  any  further  than  this 
for  the  actual  peopling  of  the  continent. 

But  the  Aztecs  of  Mexico,  and  the  Children  of  the  Sun  in 
Peru,  who  were  they?  Chinese  or  Japanese  in  all  probability. 
Chinese  and  Japanese  junks  have  been  wrecked  and  cast 
away  on  the  coast  of  Oregon,  we  know ;  they  are  brought  over 
by  the  Kuro  Siwo,  or  Japan  current,  and  a  vessel  could  be 
drifted  down  the  coast  towards  Mexico  by  the  coast  current. 
Supposing  such  to  have  been  the  case  would  it  not  be  just 
like  a  Chinaman,  with  his  intelligence  and  cunning,  to  take 
advantage  of  an  ignorant  tribe  and  announce  himself  as  a 
superior  being  ?  This  is  my  theory  in  regard  to  the  matter : 
and  it  need  not  interfere  with  the  theory  that  Yucatan  was  a 
Pho3nician  colony,  as  its  monuments,  etc.,  would  seem  to  indi 
cate.  The  equatorial  current  would  carry  a  vessel  there  fast 
enough  from  the  Canary  Islands,  which  were  known  to  the 
ancients  certainly  as  far  back  as  140  B.  c.  Columbus  found 
the  mast  or  rudder  of  an  European  vessel  at  one  of  the  West 
India  islands ! 

When  the  Merrimae  got  to  Callao,  we  found  a  revolution  in 


LIMA.  179 

progress.  The  Peruvians  had  two  fine  screw  frigates,  the 
Apurimac  and  the  Amazonia,  and  the  party  holding  these 
commanded  the  coast.  At  this  time  Montero  commanded  the 
Apurimac  and  we  heard  much  of  him.  The  rumor  was  that 
he  would  attack  Callao,  so  we  were  on  the  look-out  for  him. 
One  fine  morning  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  frigate  steaming 
quietly  into  port.  Montero  landed  and  went  to  Lima.  There 
was  no  excitement — Cosa  de  Espana,  I  suppose.  He  gave 
up  the  ship,  and  no  doubt  got  his  reward.  I  expect  it  is  the 
same  Montero  who  now  claims  to  be  the  President  of  Peru. 
He  was  considered  an  enterprising  officer,  and  would  have 
been  a  good  one  in  a  navy  under  proper  discipline. 

Lima,  the  City  of  the  Kings,  has  been  often  described.  I 
believe  the  name  is  a  corruption  of  the  Peruvian  word  Rimac, 
a  river.  It  was  founded  by  Pizarro,  in  1535,  who  gave  it  the 
name  of  Oiudad  de  los  Reyes.  It  has  frequently  suffered  from 
earthquakes ;  in  that  of  1746  not  more  than  twenty  houses  out 
of  three  thousand  were  left  standing,  and  of  twenty-three  ships 
in  the  harbor  of  Callao  nineteen  were  sunk.  The  town  of 
Callao  was  utterly  destroyed  by  a  tidal  wave  during  this 
earthquake;  of  four  thousand  inhabitants  but  two  hundred 
escaped.  The  town  was  rebuilt  farther  back  from  the  old  site. 
Vessels  now  anchor  where  the  first  city  stood.  Lima  is  700 
feet  above  the  sea  and  is  to  be  seen  from  Callao,  from  which 
it  is  distant  six  or  eight  miles.  A  railroad  connects  the  two 
cities.  The  city  of  Lima  is  beautifully  laid  out,  and  small 
streams  of  water,  conducted  from  the  river  Rimac,  contribute 
to  its  cleanliness.  It  has  many  fine  public  buildings,  and 
on  the  plaza  are  situated  the  magnificent  cathedral,  the 
government  house  (once  the  vice-regal  palace,  where  Pizarro 
was  assassinated),  and  the  hall  of  independence.  The  convent 
of  the  Franciscans,  the  mint,  the  palace  of  the  inquisition,  and 
the  cabildo  are  all  worthy  of  notice.  Under  the  cathedral  I 
saw  the  skeleton  of  Pizarro,  at  least  the  priest  said  it  was 
Pizarro  ;  and  Mr.  Clay,  our  minister,  who  had  been  a  long 
time  in  the  country  said  he  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  it.  The 


180      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

bones  of  the  hands  and  feet  had  been  carried  off  by  visitors, 
and  I  am  afraid  that  one  of  our  party  imitated  this  abomi 
nable  example.  There  is  much  of  interest  to  be  seen  in  Lima, 
and  I  spent  many  hours  in  endeavoring  to  identify  the  places 
mentioned  by  Prescott  and  other  writers,  such  as  the  stream 
the  conspirators  had  to  cross  on  their  way  to  assassinate 
Pizarro,  his  palace,  etc. 

A  friend  told  me  he  one  day  met  a  well-dressed  man  on  the 
plaza  and  inquired  of  him  if  he  could  tell  him  where  the 
palace  of  Pizarro  formerly  stood.  "  What  Pizarro  ?  "  said  the 
gentleman.  "  Why,  the  great  Pizarro,  the  grand  conqueror," 
replied  my  friend.  "  I  do  not  know  him,"  said  the  man,  and, 
bowing  politely,  he  walked  off.  In  my  visits  to  different  parts 
of  Central  and  South  America  and  Mexico  I  have  observed 
much  ignorance  exhibited  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  early  his 
tory  of  their  country.  They  not  only  do  not  know,  but  they 
seem  to  take  no  interest  in  learning  anything  about  it.  One 
can  readily  account  for  this.  It  is  caused  by  the  frequent  re 
volutions.  The  schools  are  broken  up ;  and  the  people,  chil 
dren  included,  are  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement. 
Why,  what  must  be  the  condition  of  affairs  in  Peru  at  the 
present  time? 

The  Chilians  are  better  informed  than  most  of  these  people. 
They  are  much  better  men ;  not  on  account  of  the  climate,  as 
some  suppose,  but  because  they  have  not  intermarried  to  so 
great  an  extent  with  the  negro  and  Indian.  It  is  this  which 
causes  the  degeneration  of  the  white  man.  We  hear  a  great  deal 
of  the  regeneration  of  Mexico.  It  is  all  humbug ;  it  is  an 
absurdity  if  applied  to  the  present  inhabitants,  because  it  isn't 
in  them !  What  is  a  Mexican  ?  Is  he  a  Spaniard,  or  an 
Indian,  or  does  the  fact  of  a  man's  being  born  in  Mexico, 
be  he -white,  red  or  black,  make  him  a  Mexican?  The  best 
man  in  Mexico  is  the  man  of  pure  Spanish  descent  (very 
hard  to  find)  ;  the  next  best  man  is  the  pure  Indian,  and  the 
next  the  pure  negro.  The  mixed  race  is  the  worst '  and 
unfortunately  by  far  the  most  numerous ;  and  this  applies  to 


THE  BUCCANEERS.  181 

every  country  on  the  continent  south  of  the  United  States. 
The  only  regeneration  of  Mexico  will  be  by  throwing  open  the 
doors  and  introducing  some  millions  of  pure-blooded  white 
men. 

None  of  the  Spanish  American  Kepublics,  save  perhaps 
Chili,  are  in  as  prosperous  a  condition  as  they  were  under  the 
old  Spanish  rule.  They  want  a  strong  government  to  keep 
them  in  order.  Brazil  is  kept  quiet  by  it ;  and  Brazil  has  the 
most  detestable  population  of  all  these  countries. 

We  sailed  from  Callao  in  March  and  first  stopped  at  Payta, 
some  480  miles  up  the  coast.  Payta  is  the  site  of  an  old  Peru 
vian  village,  and  I  think  Pizarro  landed  here  in  1526  on  his 
way  to  Cuzco.  It  is  the  seaport  of  the  town  of  Piura,  which 
lies  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  country  ;  but  Payta  not  only  has 
no  vegetation,  but  there  is  absolutely  no  fresh  water  within  ten 
miles  of  it.  All  the  water  is  brought  from  a  river  at  that 
distance ;  and  the  road  to  it  is  strewed  with  the  bones  of  dead 
donkeys:  Sam  AVeller,  to  the  contrary,  notwithstanding. 
The  dogs  here  have  a  hard  time  of  it ;  they  are  forced  to 
go  to  the  river  to  drink,  and  by  the  time  they  get  back  home 
are  so  thirsty  they  have  immediately  to  start  back  again  ;  so 
that  their  lives  are  spent  in  travelling.  I  believe  the  English 
Steam  Navigation  Company  have  works  here  now  and  distil 
water  for  the  inhabitants  as  well  as  for  their  steamers.  Payta 
has  a  fine  harbor  and  a  good  climate.  It  was  taken  and 
burned  by  Lord  Anson  in  1742,  and  before  his  time  was 
several  times  sacked  by  the  buccaneers. 

Speaking  of  the  buccaneers,  I  know  of  no  more  interesting 
reading  than  is  to  be  found  in  the  pages  of  Dampier,  Bingrose, 
Wafer,  Woods  Bogers  and  others  giving  an  account  of  their 
exploits  on  the  western  coast  of  North  and  South  America  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  the  beginning 
of  the  next.  Alexander  Selkirk  was  a  buccaneer  who  sailed 
with  Captain  Stradling  in  the  Cinque  Ports  in  1703.  Quar 
relling  with  his  captain  he  requested  to  be  put  on  shore  at  the 
island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  which  lies  about  375  miles  due  west 


182       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

of  Valparaiso.  He  was  landed  in  1705  and  remained  solitary 
and  alone  until  1709,  when  he  was  taken  off  by  Woods  Rogers. 
He  must  have  been  a  good  hater ;  for  it  is  said  that  when 
Captain  Rogers  sent  a  boat  for  him  the  first  question  he  asked 
was  whether '-Stradling  was  on  board,  for  if  he  was  he  would 
remain  on  the  island.  Selkirk's  adventure  gave  De  Foe  the 
idea  of  his  romance  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  published  in  1719, 
and  Juan  Fernandez  is  generally  known  as  Crusoe's  island ; 
but  in  point  of  fact  De  Foe  places  his  hero  on  one  of  the 
Windward  or  Carib  islands ;  for  his  ship  sailed  from  Brazil 
for  the  coast  of  Africa  and  was  blown  off  her  course  by  con 
trary  winds.  N'importe. 

Dampier  tells  of  a  Mosquito  Indian  who  passed  three  years 
alone  on  the  island  twenty  years  before  Selkirk's  time.  He 
says:  "March  22,  1684,  we  came  in  sight  of  Juan  Fernandez 
and  presently  got  out  our  canoe  and  went  ashore  to  seek  for  a 
Mosquito  Indian,  whom  we  left  here  when  chased  hence  by 
three  Spanish  ships  in  1681,  a  little  before  we  went  to  Arica. 
This  Indian  lived  here  alone  above  three  years  and  although 
he  was  several  times  sought  after  by  the  Spaniards,  who  knew 
he  was  left  on  the  island,  yet  they  could  never  find  him." 
After  describing  the  manner  in  which  this  Indian  contrived 
to  live  he  says :  "  He  saw  our  ship  and  came  to  the  sea  side  to 
congratulate  our  safe  arrival.  And  when  we  landed,  a  Mosquito 
Indian  named  Robin  first  leaped  on  shore  and  running  to  his 
brother  Mosquitoman  threw  himself  flat  on  his  face  at  his  feet, 
who  helping  him  up  and  embracing  him  fell  flat  with  his  face 
on  the  ground  at  Robin's  feet,  and  was  by  him  taken  up  also. 
We  stood  with  pleasure  to  behold  the  surprise,  tenderness  and 
solemnity  of  this  interview  which  was  exceedingly  affectionate 
on  both  sides." 

Juan  Fernandez  was  discovered  in  1567,  and  is  named  for 
its  discoverer.  It  is  at  present  a  penal  settlement  belonging 
to  Chili.  It  has  no  harbor.  Dana  in  his  "  Two  Years  Before 
the  Mast"  gives  a  good  description  of  it.  Of  all  the  bucca 
neers  this  man  Dampier  was  the  most  remarkable.  He  wrote 


MAGELLAN.  183 

a  full  account  of  his  voyages,  and  his  book  not  only  abounds 
in  nautical  information,  but  is  full  of  philosophical  remarks. 
Nothing  seemed  to  escape  him,  and  his  chapters  on  winds  and 
currents  may  be  read  to  advantage  at  the  present  day.  He 
was  born  in  Somersetshire,  England,  in  1652;  served  in  the 
Dutch  war  in  1673;  was  an  overseer  of  a  plantation  in 
Jamaica;  and  in  1675  was  a  logwood  cutter  in  Campeachy. 
He  gives  an  excellent  description  of  the  country  and  this  trade. 
We  then  hear  of  him  in  Virginia,  from  whence  he  sailed  to  the 
coast  of  Africa,  and  thence  to  the  South  sea — from  the  South 
sea  he  went  overland  to  the  Caribbean  sea,  and  home  to  Eng 
land.  He  sailed  again  for  the  South  sea,  and  gives  a  most  in 
teresting  account  of  his  operations  on  the  west  coast  from 
Chiloe  island,  Chili,  to  Acapulco  in  Mexico.  He  then  crossed 
the  Pacific  ocean  to  Nicobar  and  New  Holland  where  he  made 
valuable  discoveries,  and  after  remaining  some  time  in  the 
East  Indies  he  returned  to  England,  having  been  absent  on 
his  last  voyage  more  than  eight  years. 

The  first  circumnavigator  of  the  globe  was  Magalhaens  or 
Magellan  as  he  is  generally  called,  a  Portuguese  in  the  service 
of  Spain.  He  sailed  in  1519  and  discovered  the  straits  which 
bear  his  name.  He  sailed  with  a  squadron  of  five  ships,  but 
only  one  succeeded  in  making  the  voyage.  An  account  of  the 
voyage  was  written  by  the  Chevalier  Pigafetta,  an  Italian,  who 
accompanied  Magellan  as  a  volunteer.  It  is.  in  this  voyage 
that  the  first  mention  is  made  of  the  log  line.  Pigafetta  gives 
an  amusing  account  of  the  origin  of  the  name  Patagonia.  He 
says  that  the  natives  with  whom  they  communicated  had  their 
feet  bound  up  in  hides  which  made  them  so  awkward  in  their 
movements  that  the  sailors  called  them  patagones  (clumsy- 
footed) — hence  Patagonia.  The  island  of  Tierra  del  Fuego 
was  named  from  the  large  number  of  fires  observed  on  the 
land. 

The  straits  of  Magellan  were  used  by  all  the  first  circum 
navigators,  for  Cape  Horn  was  not  discovered  by  Le  Maire 
until  1616,  nearly  a  hundred  years  after  Magellan.  The 


184      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL   OFFICER. 

Spaniards  had  a  fort  here,  called  Fort  Famine,  because 
the  garrison  perished  for  want.  Magellan  proceeded  across 
the  Pacific  (which  he  so  named  from  its  smoothness)  until 
he  arrived  at  the  Philippine  islands.  He  remained  there 
some  time  and  taking  sides  with  the  natives  in  their  wars 
was  killed.  His  ship  finally  reached  Spain  under  one  of  the 
subordinate  officers  by  the  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
having  been  absent  just  three  years  and  twenty-nine  days. 
They  had  been  long  given  up,  and  when  they  stated  that 
they  had  "  sailed  round  the  world  "  were  not  believed.  Upon 
examining  the  log-book  it  was  found  they  were  a  day  be 
hind  in  their  "  reckoning,"  and  this  was  to  the  scientific  the 
best  proof  of  their  assertion,  for  as  they  sailed  to  the  westward 
and  had  not  corrected  the  "reckoning"  by  dropping  a  day 
at  the  180th  meridian  (as  is  now  the  custom)  they  naturally 
were  a  day  behind  the  time  in  Spain,  or  as  sailors  say  had  lost 
a  day. 

The  first  Englishman  to  sail  round  the  world  was  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  in  1577-80,  and  to  read  the  English  accounts  of  him 
one  would  suppose  he  was  really  the  first  circumnavigator. 
The  fact  is  the  Spaniards  sent  many  vessels  to  the  Pacific  ocean 
between  Magellan's  time  and  Drake's.  One  has  only  to  read  Na- 
varrete's  "  Collection  of  Spanish  Voyages"  to  be  assured  of  this ; 
and  by  the  way,  interesting  as  the  books  of  Irving  and  Prescott 
are,  they  do  not  in  my  opinion  compare  with  Navarrete's  ac 
counts  of  the  early  Spanish  voyages  to  the  South  Sea  and  East 
Indies. 

Some  time  after  Magellan  sailed  the  Spanish  government 
commenced  to  send  out  vessels  to  look  for  him ;  and  even 
Cortez,  who  had  just  completed  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  ac 
tually  built  vessels  at  Tehuantepec  and  sent  them  to  the  East 
Indies  on  the  same  errand. 

The  Portuguese  it  will  be  remembered  were  prosecuting 
their  discoveries  by  the  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which 
had  been  doubled  by  Vasco  de  Gama  in  1497.  Vasco  de 
Gama  went  to  Goa  on  the  west  coast  of  Hindostan  ;  and  as  I 


THE  EARL  T  SPANISH  VO  YA  GERS.  185 

have  mentioned  that  Columbus  found  the  rudder  of  a  Euro 
pean  ship  in  the  AVest  Indies,  I  will  also  mention  that  the 
natives  of  Goa  told  Vasco  de  Gama  they  had  been  visited  by 
three  ships  similar  to  his  before  his  arrival.  Where  did  they 
come  from  and  what  became  of  them  ? 

As  the  navigators  of  those  days  did  not  correct  their 
"reckoning"  at  the  180th  meridian,  instances  are  known  of 
islands  in  the  East  Indies  where  the  people  on  the  western 
end  are  a  day  ahead  in  their  computation  of  those  on  the 
eastern  end :  the  western  end  being  discovered  by  the  Portu 
guese  sailing  east,  and  the  eastern  end  by  the  Spaniards  sailing 
west. 

I  confess  that  in  reading  of  the  performances  of  the 
Spaniards  in  those  early  days  I  am  filled  with  surprise. 
Cortez  completed  the  conquest  of  Mexico  in  1520,  and  a  few 
years  after  we  find  him  fitting  out  vessels  to  look  for  Magellan. 
The  rapidity  with  which  Cortez,  Pizarro  and  their  companions 
spread  over  the  countries  conquered  by  them  is  marvellous  to 
read  of.  Alvarado,  having  conquered  Guatemala,  thinks 
nothing  of  going  to  Peru  to  join  Pizarro.  A  few  years  after, 
we  hear  of  his  building  ships  and  sailing  for  Navidad,  in 
Mexico,  to  assist  in  suppressing  an  insurrection  in  Guadala 
jara.  This  is  a  long  voyage  for  sailing  ships  at  the  present 
time. 

He  was  killed  near  Colima  by  his  horse  rolling  over  a 
precipice.  As  for  traveling  across  the  country  for  hundreds 
of  miles  these  men  thought  nothing  of  it.  There  were  no 
roads,  and  any  one  who  has  seen  an  Indian  cutting  his  way 
with  his  machete  wonders  how  an  armed  man  could  ever  pass. 
Acosta  says  that  soon  after  the  conquest  of  Peru  the  Span 
iards  were  constantly  crossing  the  isthmus  of  Darien,  and 
penetrating  the  country  towards  Bogota.  He  says  that  men 
in  armor  and  on  horseback  crossed  the  mountains  by  paths 
which  a  naked  Indian  of  the  present  day  can  hardly  travel 
on  foot. 

Whatever  the  old  Boatswain  may  have  said  of  iron  men,  the 


186       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

old  Spaniards  were  iron  if  ever  men  were.     But  after  all  it 
was  the  search  for  gold  that  made  them  iron. 
As  Hood  sings : 

"Gold!  gold!  gold!  gold! 
Bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold ; 
Molten,  graven,  hammered  and  rolled; 
Heavy  to  get,  and  light  to  hold ; 
Hoarded,  bartered,  bought,  and  sold, 
Stolen,  borrowed,  squandered,  doled: 
Spurned  by  the  young,  but  hugged  by  the  old 
To  the  very  verge  of  the  church-yard  mould ; 
Price  of  many  a  crime  untold : 
Gold!  gold!  gold!  gold! 
Good  or  bad  a  thousand  fold ! 

How  widely  its  agencies  vary  " 


COOK'S  VO  YAGES  AND  DISCO  VERIES.         187 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

COOK'S  VOYAGES  AND  DISCOVEEIES— ANSON's  VOYAGE  AROUND  THE  WOULD 
— THE  MUTINY  OF  THE  BOUNTY — PANAMA — INDIAN  NAMES  AND  THEIR 
SIGNIFICATION — TUMBEZ— CALLAO  AGAIN— LIEUTENANT  DENNY,  R.  N.  — 
THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS — REALEJO — NICARAGUA  —  CHINANDEGUA — A 
VOYAGE  IN  A  BUNGO— PANAMA  AGAIN—  COMMODORE  J.  B.  MONTGOMERY 
— VALPARAISO — THE  "  LEVANT  " — THE  "  LANCASTER  " — SAIL  FOR  HOME 
—  RIO  JANEIRO — JOHN  BROWN'S  RAID — THE  FRIGATE  CONGRESS— ARRI 
VAL  AT  NORFOLK. 

THE  first  English  circumnavigator  was  Drake  ;  and  he  was 
followed  by  Cavendish,  Cowley,  Clipper  ton,  Anson,  Byron, 
Wallace,  Carteret  and  Cook.  The  last  was  the  most  cele 
brated,  and  made  three  voyages.  He  made  many  important 
geographical  discoveries  ;  but  of  all  his  discoveries  the  most 
important  was  his  establishing  the  fact  that  it  was  possible  for 
a  ship  to  make  a  long  voyage  without  losing  half  her  crew  by 
the  scurvy  ;  such  had  been  the  case  up  to  his  time.  He  was 
killed  by  the  natives  of  Owhyhee,  Sandwich  Islands,  in  1779. 

But  of  all  these  early  voyages,  commend  me  to  the  history  of 
Lord  Anson's  voyage,  as  related  by  the  Chaplain  of  the  Cen 
turion.  It  is  simply  a  romance  from  beginning  to  end.  An 
son  left  England  September  18th,  1740,  with  eight  vessels — the 
Centurion,  Severn,  Gloucester,  Wager,  Pearl,  Tryal,  and  two 
store-ships, — the  object  of  the  expedition  being  to  attack  the 
Spanish  vessels  in  the  South  Sea. 

The  vessels  separated  off  Cape  Horn,  where  they  experi 
enced  frightful  weather.  Here  the  Severn  and  Pearl  put  back 
to  England,  and  the  Wager  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Pata 
gonia,  north  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  Byron,  afterwards  a 
commodore  and  a  circumnavigator,  was  a  midshipman  on  board, 
and  wrote  an  account  of  the  shipwreck  and  subsequent  suffer 
ings  of  the  crew.  His  book,  called  "  Byron's  Narrative,"  is  a 


188      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

poem  in  itself.  The  survivors  were  conducted  by  the  Indians 
to  Chili,  and  got  back  to  England  in  1745.  The  shipwreck 
and  sufferings  of  Byron  and  his  companions  are  commemo 
rated  by  Campbell  in  his  "  Pleasures  of  Hope :  " 

"  And  such  thy  strength-inspiring  aid  that  bore 
The  hardy  Byron  to  his  native  shore. 
In  horrid  climes,  whence  Chiloe's  tempests  sweep 
Tumultuous  murmurs  o'er  the  troubled  deep, 
JTwas  his  to  mourn  misfortune's  rudest  shock, 
Scourged  by  the  winds  and  cradled  on  the  rock, 
To  wake  each  joyless  morn,  and  search  again 
The  famished  haunts  of  solitary  men, 
Whose  race,  unyielding  as  their  native  storm, 
Knows  not  a  trace  of  Nature  but  the  form  ; 
Yet,  at  thy  call,  the  hardy  tar  pursued, 
Pale,  but  intrepid, — sad,  but  unsubdued, 
Pierced  the  deep  woods,  and,  hailing  from  afar 
The  moon's  pale  planet  and  the  northern  star  ;* 
Paused  at  each  dreary  cry,  unheard  before, 
Hyenas  in  the  wild,  and  mermaids  on  the  shore, 
Till,  led  by  thee  o'er  many  a  cliff  sublime, 
He  found  a  warmer  world,  a  milder  clime, 
A  home  to  rest,  a  shelter  to  defend, 
Peace  and  repose,  a  Briton  and  a  friend !  " 

The  Centurion  was  three  months  trying  to  double  Cape 
Horn,  and  finally  succeeded  in  doing  so,  and  made  her  way 
to  Juan  Fernandez  with  the  loss  of  half  her  crew.  The  re 
mainder  were  in  so  enfeebled  a  condition  that  it  was  with  the 
utmost  difficulty  the  vessel  could  be  brought  to  an  anchor. 
Though  many  had  died  from  the  effects  of  the  unheard-of 
weather,  yet  the  most  fell  by  that  fearful  scourge  of  the  early 
navigators,  scurvy. 

The  commodore  and  most  of  his  men  were  landed  and 
buried  up  to  their  necks  in  the  earth,  this  being  the  treatment 
for  scurvy  at  that  time.  Indeed,  I  have  known  officers  in  my 
time  who  had  experienced  this  treatment. 

*" Hailing  from  afar  the  northern  star"  in  this  southern  latitude,  must 
be  taken  cum  grano  sails :  it  is  a  poetical  license. 


ANSON'S  VOYAGE  AROUND  THE  WORLD.      189 

Bad  as  was  the  condition  of  the  Centurion  that  of  the  Glou 
cester  was  worse,  and  when  she  made  her  appearance  off  Juan 
Fernandez  men  had  to  be  sent  to  her  to  bring  her  in.  The  Tryal 
and  one  store-ship  arrived  in  like  condition.  Having  refitted 
his  ships,  Anson  with  his  two  frigates  cruised  along  the  coast  of 
Peru.  The  Tryal  was  burned,  and  the  store-ship  sent  back  to 
England.  He  burned  Payta,  and  then  stood  to  the  northward 
to  Acapulco,  in  Mexico,  with  the  intention  to  intercept  the 
royal  galleon,  sailing  between  that  port  and  the  Philippine 
Islands. 

The  trade  between  Spain  and  the  Philippines  was  at  that 
time  carried  on  by  the  way  of  Vera  Cruz  and  Acapulco  ;  the 
goods  being  shipped  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  then  sent  overland  to 
Acapulco.  The  Royal  galleon  sailed  yearly,  leaving  Acapulco 
in  April  and  arriving  at  Manilla  in  June,  and  leaving  Manilla 
so  as  to  arrive  at  Acapulco  about  Christmas — "  never  more 
than  eight  or  ten  days  before  or  after,"  as  old  Dampier  observes. 
The  old  Spanish  books  give  very  quaint  descriptions  of  the 
galleons  and  their  voyages,  and  their  cargoes  being  immensely 
valuable  great  care  was  taken  in  selecting  their  commanders. 
The  sailing  directions  for  making  the  voyage  to  and  fro  were 
minutely  drawn  up  and  required  to  be  strictly  adhered  to. 
In  going  to  Manilla  they  had  only  to  get  into  the  "  trades " 
and  run  them  down  to  the  Ladrone  islands  (where  they  stopped 
a  few  days  to  refresh),  and  thence  to  Manilla ;  but  in  return 
ing  it  was  far  different,  as  it  was  necessary  to  stand  to  the 
northward  to  about  the  fortieth  parallel  in  order  to  get  the 
westerly  winds.  They  then  stood  to  the  eastward  until  they 
made  the  coast  of  California  which  they  ran  down  to  Cape  St. 
Lucas.  Here  they  communicated  with  the  shore  to  learn  if 
any  enemy  were  on  the  coast  and  so  to  Acapulco. 

Dampier  says  that  before  reaching.  Acapulco  they  stopped 
offSallagua  to  land  the  passengers  for  the  city  of  Mexico  ;  this 
I  take  to  be  what  is  now  known  as  Navidad  bay.  This  was 
before  the  days  of  chronometers  which  have  only  been  in  gen 
eral  use  since  the  beginning  of  the  present  century ;  and  the 


190       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

longitude  was  found  by  lunar  observations.  It  was  often  two 
or  more  degrees  in  error ;  so  that  the  instructions  to  the  re 
turning  galleons  required  them  to  be  very  careful  to  notice 
the  color  of  the  water,  appearance  of  the  sea- weed,  and  even  a 
particular  kind  of  fish  in  approaching  the  coast  of  California. 
Cuts  of  these  vessels  show  that  they  carried  large  jars  of  water 
suspended  from  their  rigging  to  lengthen  their  supply.  The 
route  from  Manilla  to  Acapulco  was  first  followed  by  Urda- 
neta  in  1654,  and  was  called  for  many  years  after  "  Urdaneta's 
Passage." 

Anson  arrived  off  Acapulco  and  saw  the  galleon  in  the 
harbor ;  but  she  was  moored  close  to  the  shore,  and  the  entrance 
being  defended  by  a  strong  fort  (another  of  those  grand  works 
of  the  early  Spaniards  which  I  have  often  visited)  did  not 
think  it  prudent  to  attack  her.  From  the  chaplain's  narrative 
it  is  easy  to  locate,  as  I  have  myself  done,  the  exact  spot  where 
the  galleon  was  moored.  After  blockading  the  port  for  some 
time  he  went  up  the  coast  to  Point  Tejupan  to  water  ship  ;  he 
then  returned  to  Acapulco  and  finding  the  galleon  wrould  not 
come  out  he  at  last  bore  away  with  his  two  ships  for  China. 
To  show  the  fearful  ravages  made  by  the  scurvy  among  his 
men  he  was  actually  forced  to  burn  the  frigate  Gloucester  on 
the  passage  to  get  men  enough  to  handle  the  Centurion  ! 

The  Centurion  stopped  at  Tinian,  one  of  the  Ladrone  islands, 
and  here  again  landed  most  of  her  officers  and  men  for  treat 
ment  against  the  scurvy.  Whilst  here  it  was  discovered  that 
an  attendant  of  one  of  the  officers  was  a  female.  She  may 
have  been  the  heroine  of  the  old  sailor-song  of  Billee-i- Taylor 
which  says : 

"Then  she  took  a  sword  and  pistols, 
,  Took  a  pistol  in  each  hand ; 
And  she  fell  to  shooting  on  Billee-i-Taylor 
As  he  was  walking  along  the  strand. 

"  Which  the  captain  when  he  heard  it, 

Very  much  approv'd  what  she  had  done, 
And  straightway  made  her  First  Lieutenant 

Of  the  gallant  Thunder  Bomb." 


ANSONiS  VOYAGE  AROUND  THE  WORLD.      191 

If  Captain  Luce  has  omitted  this  elegant  production  in 
his  "  Naval  Songs  "  it  is  a  su  disposition. 

The  Centurion  being  left  with  but  few  men  on  board  was 
blown  to  sea  in  a  gale  of  wind.  The  party  on  shore  waited 
anxiously  for  her  return  and  she  not  making  her  appearance 
they  commenced  building  a  schooner,  on  which  the  commo 
dore  worked  with  his  own  hands,  to  carry  them  to  China. 
Fortunately  the  ship  got  back  and  they  all  embarked  for  Ma 
cao,  where  the  ship  arrived  in  1743.  The  English  flag  was 
then  hardly  known  in  the  East,  and  the  authorities  at  Canton 
refused  to  furnish  the  ship  with  provisions,  of  which  they 
stood  in  great  need.  When  the  Mandarins  visited  the  ship, 
Anson  to  make  a  show  had  the  marines  drawn  up  on  the 
quarter-deck ;  and  so  many  of  the  guard  had  died  that  he 
supplied  the  deficiency  by  dressing  some  of  his  sailors  in  ma 
rines'  uniform,  much  to  their  disgust  no  doubt.  Upon  the 
Mandarins  refusing  to  furnish  provisions,  Anson  told  them  he 
regretted  their  decision  as  his  men  must  have  meat ;  and  if 
they  could  not  obtain  it  in  any  other  way  they  would  seize  the 
Chinese  in  their  boats,  and  eat  them !  This  brought  them  to 
terms  and  the  supplies  were  forthcoming.  It  must  be  remem 
bered  that  at  this  time  the  Portuguese  had  the  trade  with 
China,  as  the  Dutch  had  with  Japan. 

After  remaining  a  month  Anson  announced  his  intention 
to  sail  for  England,  via  Batavia,  and  he  actually  took  the 
mails  on  board.  He  sailed  accordingly,  and  after  getting 
out  of  sight  of  land  he  called  up  his  crew  and  announced  his 
intention  to  cruise  off  the  Philippine  islands  and  try  to  inter 
cept  the  galleon  from  Acapulco.  The  men  responded  with 
three  hearty  cheers  and  the  Centurion  proceeded  to  cruise  off 
Espiritu  Santo  in  the  hope  of  encountering  her.  To  show  how 
sanguine  all  hands  were  as  to  the  result  of  an  engagement  it 
is  recorded  that  the  commodore  having  asked  his  steward  why 
he  did  not  have  a  certain  turkey,  or  something  of  the  sort,  for 
dinner,  he  replied  that  he  was  keeping  it  to  entertain  the 
captain  of  the  galleon  when  he  dined  with  the  commodore. 


192      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

The  galleon  at  last  made  her  appearance,  and  although  supe 
rior  to  the  Centurion,  was  captured,  and  with  her  the  largest 
sum  of  prize  money  ever  taken  in  a  single  bottom. 

The  Centurion  having  sold  her  prize  (worth  two  million 
dollars)  in  Macao,  sailed  for  England,  where  she  arrived 
June  15,  1744,  after  an  absence  of  three  years  and  nine 
months.  Prize  money  to  the  amount  6f  five  million  dollars 
was  divided  among  her  crew.  The  freaks  of  her  discharged 
sailors,  the  reckless  scattering  of  money,  etc.,  were  long  re 
membered  in  England,  and  have  been  preserved  in  the  songs 
of  Dibdin  and  others. 

What  romance  exceeds  in  interest  the  story  of  the  Mutiny 
of  the  Bounty  ?  Lady  Becher  has  written  a  full  and  interest 
ing  account  of  it;  but  I  believe  I  can  add  a  few  particu 
lars  not  to  be  found  in  her  book.  The  brig  Bounty,  Lieu 
tenant  Commanding  Bligh,  sailed  from  England  in  Decem 
ber,  1787,  for  the  Society  Islands,  the  object  of  the  voyage 
being  to  take  a  number  of  bread-fruit  trees  to  the  West 
India  Islands.  [This  was  afterwards  done.]  The  vessel 
met  with  unusually  rough  weather  off  Cape  Horn,  and  Cap 
tain  Bligh  finally  determined  to  proceed  by  the  way  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  he  did,  and  arrived  safely 
at  Otaheite.  Here  he  took  on  board  the  trees  and  sailed  for 
the  West  Indies  in  April,  1789.  Three  weeks  after  sailing  the 
crew  mutinied  under  the  officer  next  in  command  to  Bligh — 
one  Christian,  a  mate.  Captain  Bligh  and  eighteen  men  were 
put  in  an  open  boat,  with  a  scant  allowance  of  food  and  water, 
and  set  adrift.  He  made  a  most  remarkable  voyage.  The 
most  remarkable  boat  voyage  probably  ever  made.  He  sailed 
from  the  Friendly  Islands  to  the  island  of  Timor,  a  distance 
of  nearly  4000  miles,  and  arrived  without  the  loss  of  a  man. 
It  was  only  by  the  utmost  firmnesss  in  keeping  his  men  on  a 
proper  allowance  of  food  and  water,  and  refusing  to  land  on 
unknown  and  probably  unfriendly  islands  that  he  accom 
plished  this.  From  Timor  he  got  back  to  England  with  his 
party.  In  the  meantime  the  mutineers  under  Christian, 


THE  MUTINY  OF  THE  BOUNTY.  193 

twenty-five  in  number,  returned  in  the  Bounty  to  Otaheite, 
and  here  most  of  the  men  determined  to  remain,  among  them 
a  young  midshipman  named  Heywood.  Christian,  Midship 
man  Young  and  eight  men  took  on  board  a  number  of  Ota- 
licitan  men  and  women  (four  men  and  eleven  women)  and 
sailed  away  to  the  eastward.  For  some  years  nothing  was 
heard  of  them. 

As  soon  as  Captain  Bligh  reported  the  facts  to  the  ministry 
the  frigate  Pandora,  Captain  Edwards,  was  sent  to  look  for 
the  mutineers.  She  proceeded  to  Otaheite  and  there  took  on 
board  Mr.  Heywood  and  thirteen  others ;  but  all  search  for 
the  Bounty  proved  ineffectual.  The  mutineers  were  treated 
with  unnecessary  severity  on  board  the  Pandora,  (their  place 
of  confinement  was  afterward  called  the  "  Pandora's  Box,") 
and  to  add  to  their  sufferings  the  vessel  was  wrecked  and  some 
of  them  were  drowned.  The  others  finally  arrived  in  England 
and  were  brought  to  trial  in  1792.  Captain  Bligh  who  was  a 
tyrant  and  one  of  the  last  men  who  should  have  been  put  in 
authority  over  others,  (he  was  afterwards  made  Governor  of 
Australia,  and  for  his  tyranny  was  deposed  by  an  insurrection 
in  1808),  was  also  one  of  the  most  vindictive  of  men.  He  did 
his  utmost  to  have  every  man,  old  or  young,  hanged.  Mid 
shipman  Heywood  was  a  mere  lad — he  knew  nothing  of  the 
projected  mutiny ;  but  when  in  the  morning  he  was  offered  the 
choice  to  remain  on  board  or  go  in  the  boat  he  elected  to  re 
main  :  no  doubt  because  he  did  not  fully  comprehend  the  situa 
tion.  His  youth  and  ignorance  of  the  plans  of  Christian  and 
his  associates  would  account  for  this.  He  was,  however,  con 
demned  to  be  hanged  with  the  rest,  and  Captain  Bligh  tried 
to  have  it  carried  into  effect.  Fortunately  he  had  influential 
friends,  and  his  case  being  properly  presented  to  the  throne 
he  was  pardoned  with  two  of  the  men — the  others  were  hanged. 
Heywood  lived  to  become  a  captain  in  the  navy,  and  devoted 
his  whole  life  to  expiating  what  he  considered  his  crime ;  but 
what  others  considered  an  error  of  judgment.  He  was  at  sea 
twenty-five  years  out  of  twenty-seven  years  in  the  service,  and 
9 


194      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

I  was  told  by  an  officer  who  knew  him  that  never  was  a  man  so 
passionately  loved  by  his  officers  and  crew.  One  of  the  men 
pardoned  with  him  never  left  him  afterward ;  he  went  with  him 
on  all  his  cruises  as  his  coxswain,  and  at  the  end  of  the  cruise 
lived  at  the  captain's  home.  Captain  Heywood  died  univer 
sally  beloved  and  esteemed,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of 
Captain  Bligh. 

Nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  Bounty  until  1808  when 
Captain  Folger  of  Boston  touched  at  Pitcairn's  island  in  the 
Pacific  expecting  to  find  it  uninhabited.  As  he  approached  it 
he  was  much  surprised  at  seeing  a  canoe  coming  off  with  two 
men  in  it,  and  still  more  surprised  at  hearing  one  of  the  men 
exclaim  as  he  got  alongside  the  ship,  in  good  English,  "  throw 
us  a  rope."  When  he  came  on  board  the  captain  asked  him 
his  name,  and  he  replied :  "  Thursday  October  Christian." 

Captain  Folger  found  upon  the  island  one  of  the  mutineers 
who  called  himself  John  Adams,  but  who  is  supposed  to  have 
been  Alexander  Smith,  who  gave  an  account  of  the  colony. 
He  was  the  only  survivor  of  the  Bounty's  crew.  Christian  had 
destroyed  the  vessel  soon  after  their  arrival.  A  few  years 
afterwards  the  English  were  all  killed  by  the  Otaheitans  except 
three  who  concealed  themselves.  The  Otaheitan  men  quarreled 
among  themselves  and  were  all  killed  or  died  of  their  wounds. 
Two  of  the  Englishmen  died  soon  after,  and  Adams  or  Smith 
with  several  women  and  children  remained  the  only  inhabitants 
of  the  island.  Adams  described  Christian's  remorse  to  have 
been  extreme.  The  whole  story  is  most  agreeably  told  by  Lady 
Becher,  who  is  a  grand-daughter  of  the  late  Captain  Heywood. 

In  1814  the  island  was  visited  by  the  British  frigates  Briton 
and  Tagus.  The  visitors  thus  described  the  inhabitants  at 
that  time :  "  This  interesting  new  colony  consists  of  forty-six 
persons,  mostly  grown  up  young  people,  besides  a  number  of 
infants.  Their  native  modesty,  assisted  by  a  proper  sense  of 
religion  and  morality,  instilled  into  their  youthful  minds  by 
John  Adams,  has  hitherto  preserved  these  interesting  people 
perfectly  chaste." 


PANAMA.  195 

An  English  officer  who  had  visited  Pitcairn's  island  told  me 
that  when  the  British  frigates  arrived  there  in  1814,  old 
Adams  thought  they  had  come  for  him,  and  that  he  would  be 
taken  to  England  and  hanged.  When  the  captain  of  the 
frigate  landed,  Adams  stood  on  one  side  with  his  hat  off,  as  is 
the  custom  of  English  sailors  in  the  presence  of  an  officer,  and 
his  long,  white  hair  flowing  over  his  shoulders.  The  govern 
ment,  however,  if  it  did  not  pardon  him,  never  took  any  notice 
of  his  crime.  He  died  in  1830.  The  officer  told  me  that 
Adams  kept  a  journal  which  he  had  read — after  telling  of  the 
killing  of  the  Otaheitans,  and  there  being  but  three  white  men 
left — it  went  on  to  say :  "  It  was  observed  of  Jack  B.  that  his 
conduct  was  strange,  and  we  feared  he  might  kill  us  in  our 
sleep  ;  it  was  therefore  decided  to  put  him  to  death,  wrhich  we 
accordingly  did  ivith  an  axe  !  "  The  Pitcairn  islanders  were 
removed  to  Norfolk  Island  in  1856.  A  few  years  after,  some 
of  them  returned  to  Pitcairn's  Island,  where  they  still  are. 

But  avast !  Should  I  go  on  with  these  reminiscences  I  will 
exhaust  the  patience  of  my  reader.  The  truth  is,  that  being 
very  fond  of  this  kind  of  reading  I  had,  during  my  four  years' 
stay  at  the  naval  academy,  taken  advantage  of  an  excellent 
library  to  read  up  the  early  voyages  of  the  Spanish,  English, 
and  French  in  these  seas  ;  and  now,  being  on  the  spot,  I  was 
in  the  habit  of  recalling  these  incidents  during  many  a  weary 
night's  watch. 

We  left  the  Merrimac  in  Payta.  From  Payta  we  went  to 
Panama,  and  here,  being  within  eight  days'  sail  of  New  York, 
we  felt  almost  like  returning  home  after  our  long  voyage  around 
Cape  Horn.  Old  Panama  was  founded  soon  after  the  discovery 
of  the  Pacific.  It  was  built  principally  of  cedar.  About  1673 
it  was  sacked  and  burned  by  the  buccaneers  under  Morgan. 
The  present  city  is  situated  about  four  miles  west  of  the  old 
towrn.  It  is  a  wralled  city,  and  was  in  its  day  strongly  fortified. 
The  bay  of  Panama,  in  spite  of  what  the  "  sailing  directions  " 
usually  say,  affords  good  anchorage.  Vessels  cannot  lie  very 
near  the  shore,  'tis  true,  and  southerly  gales  sometimes  blow. 


196       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

I  have  known  it  well  for  twenty-five  years,  and  have  never  in 
that  time  heard  of  a  ship  dragging  on  shore. 

Should  Lesseps  succeed  with  his  canal  (and  I  think  he 
will),  he  will  find  no  difficulty  as  to  making  a  harbor  at 
Panama.  The  anchorage  under  Perico  Island  is  now  a  per 
fectly  safe  one  ;  and  a  moderate  sum  spent  in  building  break 
waters  will  make  a  basin  large  enough  to  hold  all  the  vessels 
that  will  ever  want  to  use  it. 

The  name  Panama,  it  is  said,  means  in  the  Indian  language 
"  a  place  abounding  in  fish  ;  "  (it  should  be  filth).  I  confess 
I  have  no  great  faith  as  to  the  rendering  of  these  Indian 
names  into  English.  When  Cordova,  in  1517,  landed  on  an 
unknown  coast  he  asked  the  name  of  the  country,  and  was 
answered  by  the  natives :  . "  Tectetan ;  "  meaning  "  I  do  not 
understand  you  ;  "  and  this  the  Spaniards  corrupted  into  Yu 
catan  !  And  on  the  same  voyage  Bernal  Diaz  says  the  na 
tives  came  off  to  the  ship  in  their  canoes,  and  tried  to  induce 
them  to  land,  saying :  "  Con  Escotoch,"  meaning "  Come  to 
our  town : "  and  from  this  we  get  Cape  Catoche  !  It  has  long 
been  a  wonder  to  me  how  Mungo  Park  managed  to  translate 
the  touching  song  of  the  negro  woman  in  Africa :  considering 
that  he  did  not  understand  the  language !  Verb  umsap. 

From  Panama  the  Merrimac  went  to  the  south  coast  again, 
touching  at  Tumbez,  on  the  Guayaquil  river,  and  Payta,  on  the 
way.  At  Callao  I  met  my  friends  Moore  and  Denny  of  the  Eng 
lish  steamer  Vixen.  Moore  had  accompanied  Captain  Prevost 
in  his  attempt  to  cross  the  isthmus.  Denny  had  served  in  the 
Baltic  under  Admiral  Napier  during  the  Crimean  war,  and 
used  to  relate  many  interesting  particulars  of  it.  He  was  tell 
ing  me  one  day  of  their  raising  a  torpedo  (or  "  infernal  machine  " 
as  we  called  them  then)  and  taking  it  aboard  Vice  Admiral 
Seymour's  ship.  The  admiral  who  was  walking  the  deck  with 
a  cane  professed  to  "  know  all  about  it ;"  so  he  attempted  to 
explain  how  it  was  made,  and  in  so  doing  gave  it  a  rap.  It 
exploded ;  killed  some  men,  and  the  admiral  lost  an  eye. 
"  What  a  dreadful  thing !"  said  I ;  "  Oh  no !  not  at  all,"  said 


LIEUTENAN1  DENNY,  R.  N.  197 

Denny :  "  He  gets  a  pension ;  he  is  laying  back  in  Greenwich 
hospital — two-six  a  day !"  "  but,"  he  continued  in  the  same 
breath,  "  There  was  a  poor  beggar  of  a  marine  officer  had  his 
shin  knocked  off;  he  didn't  get  anything."  I  could  have  said 
to  Denny  "  a  pension  covers  a  multitude  of  shins  ;"  but  I  regret 
to  say  I  did  not.  It  was  one  of  those  vexatious  arriere-pensees. 

This  was  the  same  Denny  who  told  me  of  the  fight  at  Simon- 
oseki,  where  he  was  wounded.  He  was  not  promoted  as  he 
thought  he  should  have  been  and  this  was  his  "  grievance ;" 
"  for,"  he  would  say  in  a  melancholy  tone,  "  perhaps  I  shall 
never  have  another  chance  to  get  hit !" 

In  September,  1858,  we  sailed  from  Callao  for  the  Sandwich 
islands,  and  arrived  at  Honolulu  in  October.  Here  our  com 
modore  went  on  shore  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  Boston. 
In  inspecting  the  ship  there  he  fell  down  a  hatchway  and  in 
jured  his  leg.  During  the  entire  cruise  he  passed  his  days 
seated  in  a  chair  with  his  leg  propped  up.  The  Sandwich 
islands  were  named  by  Cook  for  Lord  Sandwich.  The  Eng 
lish  claim  that  Cook  discovered  this  group,  but  the  Spaniards 
knew  them  a  century  before  his  time.  The  islanders  were 
an  amiable  race,  and  though  they  have  been  accused  of 
being  cannibals  it  is  not  probable.  The  early  voyagers 
were  very  fond  of  scoring  men  down  as  man-eaters ;  in 
some  cases — notably  the  Indians  of  Alaska — because  it  was 
the  custom  to  keep  the  bones  of  their  ancestors  in  their  huts. 
There  are  few  pure-blooded  islanders  to  be  seen  now,  and  the 
decrease  in  the  population  since  Cook's  time  is  simply  fright 
ful — in  another  century  there  will  be  none  left  to  tell  the  tale. 
The  natural  result  of  the  intermixture  of  races.  The  little 
Dolphin,  Captain  Percival,  was  the  first  American  man-of-war 
to  visit  these  islands,  I  have  been  told. 

We  had  expected  to  remain  some  time  at  Honolulu ;  but 
the  unsatisfactory  relations  existing  between  the  United  States 
and  Nicaragua  called  us  there.  One  cannot  wonder  that  the 
expeditions  of  the  filibusters  under  Walker  had  caused  bad 
feeling  in  Nicaragua.  Indeed  Nicaragua  and  Costa  Rica 


198      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

appealed  to  the  great  European  powers  for  protection  in  May 
of  this  year.  We  arrived  at  Realejo  in  December.  We 
anchored  off  what  is  now  called  Corinto,  Realejo  being  in  fact 
situated  on  a  small  creek  seven  miles  distant.  It  shows  the 
terror  caused  by  the  buccaneers  on  this  coast — most  of  the 
towns  were  located  away  from  the  shore.  The  squadron 
assembled  here  in  January,  1859  ;  and  we  had  a  visit  from  the 
President  of  Nicaragua  and  his  cabinet.  We  were  here  about 
three  months.  The  harbor  is  an  excellent  one  and  the  climate 
tolerably  good.  We  took  advantage  of  our  long  stay  to  land 
our  battalion  of  small-arm  men  frequently,  and  have  what  the 
marine  officer  in  Cooper's  "  Pilot "  so  often  longed  for :  "  a  good 
steady  drill."  The  Merrimac's  crew  were  the  smartest  men  at 
their  guns,  great  and  small,  I  have  ever  seen.  The  ship  passed 
an  excellent  ordnance  inspection  upon  her  return  home,  and  I 
doubt  if  her  "time"  in  transporting,  dismounting,  and  general 
handling  of  guns  has  ever  been  equalled. 

The  town  of  Realejo  is  small,  and  is  now  an  insignificant 
place,  though  one  can  see  the  ruins  of  an  old  stone  cathedral 
and  other  public  buildings.  We  used  to  go  to  the  town  of 
Chinandegua  occasionally  for  a  few  days'  stay.  I  met  there 
an  American  doctor,  from  Tennessee,  who  kept  a  hotel  or 
boarding-house  ;  he  had  married  a  native  and  had  a  large 
family.  Asking  him  how  he  happened  to  find  himself  in  the 
place,  he  told  me  his  history.  In  1849  he  started  for  Califor 
nia  to  dig  gold.  Upon  reaching  Panama  he  found  it  crowded 
with  "  gold  searchers,"  and  no  vessels  in  port  to  carry  them  on 
their  way.  He  and  a  number  of  others  bought  a  bungo  (a 
large  canoe),  and  in  it  actually  started  for  San  Francisco,  a 
distance  of  more  than  three  thousand  miles.  The  party  chose 
for  leader  one  Chris.  Lilly,  a  pugilist,  who  had  just  before 
killed  a  man  named  McCoy  in  the  prize  ring.  They  coasted 
along  the  shore,  landing  frequently  for  provisions  and  water.. 
Upon  landing  at  Realejo  the  doctor  left ;  he  said  he  had 
enough,  and  I  suppose  he  is  in  Chinandegua  now.  Inquiring 
about  this  bwigo  subsequently,  I  was  told  that  she  got  past 


COMMODORE  J.  B.  MONTGOMERY.  199 

Cape  St.  Lucas,  and  was  wrecked.  The  party,  still  under 
Lilly,  made  their  way  to  San  Francisco  on  foot.  This  voyage 
of  over  two  thousand  miles  in  a  bungo  almost,  if  not  quite, 
equals  Captain  Bligh's. 

About  March,  1859,  we  went  to  Panama,  and  here  Commo 
dore  Long  was  relieved  by  Commodore  John  B.  Montgomery 
— a  most  estimable  man  and  gallant  officer.  He  served  with 
distinction  on  the  lakes  in  the  war  of  1812.  In  the  summer 
the  Merrimac  went  to  Valparaiso  to  await  the  arrival  of  her 
relief — the  new  ship  Lancaster.  We  found  here  the  Levant, 
Commander  Wm.  E.  Hunt.  She  was  afterwards  lost  at  sea, 
as  I  have  before  mentioned.  She  had  a  fine  set  of  officers,  and 
not  a  vacancy  in  her  complement  when  lost. 

In  October  the  Lancaster  arrived,  and  we  sailed  for  home. 
Our  captain  made  great  preparations  for  rounding  Cape  Horn  ; 
he  considered  the  ship  "  top  heavy,"  and  everything  was  sent 
below  that  could  be  stowed  there,  even  the  oars  of  the  boats ! 
At  my  earnest  solicitation  the  oars  were  kept  in  one  boat,  in 
case  of  a  man  falling  overboard !  We  had  a  good  passage  to 
Bio  de  Janeiro,  and  no  bad  weather  off  the  Cape.  In  fact  we 
did  not  experience  a  gale  of  wind  during  the  entire  cruise. 
We  heard  in  Rio  of  John  Brown's  raid  against  Harper's 
Ferry.  It  created  great  excitement  and  some  warm  discus 
sion,  but  not  an  officer  on  board  justified  it. 

We  found  in  Rio  the  frigate  Congress.  The  Merrimac  was 
to  meet  this  vessel  in  Hampton  Roads  not  many  months  after, 
under  far  different  circumstances.  We  arrived  at  Norfolk 
in  December,  1859,  after  a  monotonous  cruise  of  26  months. 
I  wrote  "  Naval  Light  Artillery "  during  this  cruise,  which 
was  adopted  by  the  Navy  Department,  and  has  ever  since  been 
the  text-book  at  the  Naval  Academy.  I  also  translated  the 
French  "  Tactique  Navale,"  which  was  also  used  at  the 
Academy. 


200      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ORDERED  TO   THE   NAVAL  ACADEMY — SECESSION  OF   THE  COTTON  STATES — • 

OCCUPATION    OF    ANNAPOLIS    BY    TROOPS    UNDER    GENERAL    BUTLER 

SECESSION  OF  VIRGINIA — RESIGN  MY  COMMISSION  IN  THE  U.  S.  NAVY 
AND  ENTER  THE  CONFEDERATE  NAVY — GOVERNOR  HICKS  AND  THE 
STATE  OF  MARYLAND — SECESSION  OF  THE  BORDER  STATES — THE  NORTH 
ERN  DEMOCRATS — HARPER'S  FERRY — GENERAL  HARNEY — THE  APPEAR 
ANCE  OF  RICHMOND  AT  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  WAR — THE  "  PAWNEE" 
WAR — ARRIVAL  OF  TROOPS— A  NAVAL  HOWITZER  BATTERY— EVACUA 
TION  OF  NORFOLK — CAPTAIN  A.  B.  FAIRFAX — THE  '*  PATRICK  HENRY" — 
LIEUTENANT  POWELL— OUR  FIRST  IRON-CLAD — THE  BATTLE  OF  MANAS- 
SAS — AFFAIR  AT  ACQUIA  CREEK. 

IN  the  summer  of  1860  I  was  ordered  to  the  Naval  Academy 
for  the  second  time,  and  in  September  reported  for  duty  as  an 
instructor  of  seamanship  and  naval  tactics,  and  entered  upon 
my  duties.  Captain  George  S.  Blake  was  at  this  time  Super 
intendent  of  the  Academy,  and  Lieutenant  C.  R.  P.  Rodgers 
the  Commandant  of  Midshipmen. 

Instructors  in  the  strictly  professional  branches  at  the  Aca 
demy  at  the  present  time,  with  text-books,  models  and  apparatus 
at  their  command,  can  scarcely  understand  how  extremely 
arduous  we  found  our  duties  in  1860.  There  were  no  books 
on  seamanship  or  naval  tactics  exactly  adapted  to  the  wants 
of  the  Midshipmen,  so  that  the  instructor  had  to  do  a  good 
deal  of  compiling  and  translating.  I  wrote  the  Seamanship 
used  by  the  senior  class,  and  translated  Chopart's  Naval 
Tactics  for  them  also ;  and  as  the  class  had  to  copy  the  manu 
script  it  gave  them  much  additional  labor. 

My  book  on  Naval  Light  Artillery  being  adopted  as  a  text 
book,  I  was  put  in  charge  of  that  branch  in  addition  to  my 
other  duties,  and  found  I  had  my  hands  full. 

The  secession  of  South  Carolina  in  December,  quickly  fol- 


SECESSION  OF  THE  COTTON  STATES.          201 

lowed  by  that  of  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia, 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  convinced  all  reflecting  minds  that  a 
civil  war  was  impending;  indeed  I  had  long  been  of  that 
opinion  myself.  I  was  satisfied  in  1857  that  the  subjects  in 
dispute  between  the  Northern  and  Southern  states  would  finally 
be  decided  by  an  appeal  to  arms.  I  have  my  opinion  as  to  the 
cause  of  the  war — and  a  pretty  decided  one  it  is — but  it  is 
not  my  intention  in  this  book,  which  is  simply  a  memoir  of 
what  I  saw  myself  of  the  war,  to  obtrude  it.  At  some  future 
time  I  may  bring  up  some  points  which  have  not  yet  been 
considered — contenting  myself  with  saying  that  the  men  who 
suffered  most  by  the  war  (the  Southern  army  and  navy  officers 
inasmuch  as  they  lost  a  profession)  had  less  to  do  with  bring 
ing  it  about  than  any  other  class  of  citizens. 

It  may  well  be  imagined  that  the  constant  state  of  excite 
ment  in  which  we  were  kept  was  not  conducive  to  hard  study ; 
yet  so  good  was  the  discipline  that  everything  wrent  on  as 
usual,  and  the  midshipmen  were  kept  closely  to  their  duties. 
As  the  states  seceded,  the  students  appointed  from  them  gen 
erally  resigned  with  the  consent  of  their  parents ;  but  their 
departures  were  very  quietly  taken,  and  the  friendships  they 
had  contracted  at  the  school  remained  unimpaired.  Affairs 
remained  in  this  state  until  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter, 
April  11-13 ;  but  after  that,  as  war  was  now  certain,  the  scho 
lastic  duties  were  discontinued  and  the  place  assumed  more  the 
appearance  of  a  garrison. 

I  resigned  my  commission  on  the  19th  of  April,  1861,  upon 
hearing  of  the  secession  of  Virginia.  On  the  afternoon  of  that 
day  a  collision  occurred  in  Baltimore  between  a  Massachusetts 
regiment  and  a  mob,  and  the  railroads  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
city  were  torn  up  to  interrupt  travel.  Troops  were  sent  to 
Annapolis  on  their  way  to  Washington  which  was  supposed 
to  be  threatened  by  the  Confederates.  The  first  troops  to 
arrive  wrere  the  New  York  7th  regiment,  a  Rhode  Island  regi 
ment  and  battery,  and  a  Massachusetts  regiment  all  under  the 
command  of  General  B.  F.  Butler. 

9* 


202       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

The  authorities  of  the  Academy  were  under  the  impression 
that  an  attack  upon  the  school  and  the  frigate  Constitution 
was  projected  by  the  secessionists  in  the  neighborhood ;  but  I 
think  there  never  was  any  serious  foundation  for  their  fears. 
While  waiting  to  hear  of  the  acceptance  of  my  resignation  I 
remained  on  duty,  and  was  one  night  placed  in  a  most  unpleasant 
position.  An  alarm  was  given  that  the  secessionists  were 
coming  up  the  river  to  attack  us ;  the  long  roll  was  beaten,  and 
all  hands  were  sent  to  their  stations.  I  was  in  charge  of  the 
howitzer  battery,  and  like  many  of  the  midshipmen  manning 
it  who  had  resigned  and  were  waiting  to  hear  from  Washing 
ton,  had  either  to  refuse  to  do  duty  or  fire  on  our  friends. 

The  alarm  was  a  false  one ;  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  how 
ever,  that  had  we  been  attacked  I  should  have  stood  by  my 
guns  and  performed  my  duty  by  the  school.  I  was  still  an 
officer  of  the  navy ;  and,  moreover,  Maryland  had  not  seceded, 
and  if  it  had,  war  had  not  been  declared. 

It  was  now  determined  to  remove  the  school  to  Newport,  R. 
I.,  and  preparations  were  made  accordingly.  About  the  23d  of 
the  month  (April)  I  received  private  information  from  a  friend 
in  Baltimore  that  a  steamboat  would  be  at  the  wharf  that  night 
at  9  o'clock  to  take  Governor  Hicks  to  Baltimore,  and  was 
advised  to  seize  the  opportunity  to  leave.  I  did  so,  and  many 
of  my  brother  officers  were  at  the  boat  to  see  me  off.  As  we 
approached  Baltimore  the  boat  sheered  in  to  a  wharf  near 
Fell's  Point,  landed  the  Governor  and  his  friends,  and  then 
went  on  to  her  usual  wharf.  This  was  done  to  prevent  the 
secessionists  from  getting  hold  of  the  governor.  Not  very  long 
before,  they  had  done  so  in  Baltimore,  and  he  had  on  that 
occasion  made  a  very  good  secession  speech.  The  object  of 
Governor  Hicks  was  to  get  to  Frederick  where  he  had  called 
the  Legislature  to  assemble,  and  where  those  members  profess 
ing  southern  sympathies  were  arrested  and  cast  into  prison  a 
short  time  after.  Thus  was  the  State  of  Maryland  seized  by 
the  throat  by  the  United  States  government  before  the  begin 
ning  of  hostilities. 


SECESSION  OF  VIRGINIA.  203 

The  State  of  Virginia  seceded  on  the  17th  of  April,  and  was 
soon  followed  by  Arkansas,  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee. 
This  action  was  precipitated  by  President  Lincoln's  call  for 
75,000  troops  on  the  15th  of  April.  I  confess  I  could  never 
see  the  philosophy  of  it.  The  Union  men  of  these  States  by 
their  persistently  voting  against  secession,  in  convention  and 
otherwise,  induced  President  Lincoln  and  his  advisers  to 
believe  that  they  would  not  consent  to  it  under  any  circum 
stances,  and  they  strengthened  his  hands  to  that  extent.  In  a 
measure  they  invited  him  to  issue  his  call  for  75,000  men! 
After,  as  I  say,  voting  against  secession  and  thus  preventing 
their  States  from  making  preparations  for  war  they  suddenly 
turned  round  and  voted  for  it  when  the  U.  S.  government  had 
taken  the  action  their  attitude  had  seemed  to  approve!  This 
inconsistency  was  rivalled  by  the  action  of  the  northern  Demo 
crats.  They  had  generally  supported  the  attitude  of  the  sece 
ding  States,  and  were  patting  them  on  the  back  with  the  advice 
"  to  go  in  and  win ;"  but  as  soon  as  the  "  flag  was  fired  on  "  (to 
use  the  expression  of  the  day)  they  jumped  over  the  fence. 
Why  ?  The  South  had  only  done  what  the  northern  Demo 
crats  had  encouraged  it  to  do !  Did  they  not  see  that  every 
thing  was  tending  to  an  appeal  to  arms,  and  that  they  were  in 
citing  the  South  to  it  ?  or  did  they  suppose  that  "  war  "  meant 
throwing  oyster  shells  at  each  other  ?  I  think  I  could  give  a 
pretty  good  reason  for  their  action  if  this  were  the  place  for  it ! 
I  suspect  that  at  the  meeting  of  the  northern  governors  the 
manner  in  which  the  war  was  to  be  precipitated  was  all  arranged. 
Not  the  only  thing  of  the  kind  concocted  by  "  the  party,"  both 
before  and  after  the  war,  if  I  am  not  mistaken. 

Whatever  our  wise  statesmen  may  say,  I  thought  then,  as  I 
think  now,  that  after  the  action  of  the  six  extreme  Southern 
States  and  the  formation  by  them  of  a  Southern  Confederacy, 
the  Border  States — if  they  held  the  ground  that  a  State  could 
not  be  lawfully  coerced, — and  if,  also,  they  were  opposed  to 
the  abolition  of  slavery — had  no  choice  but  to  join  their  sister 
States  ;  and  true  statesmanship  should  have  shown  them  this, 


204       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

and  their  action  should  have  been  united  and  prompt.  It 
might  have  averted  the  civil  war. 

To  return  to  my  narrative.  Upon  my  arrival  in  Baltimore 
I  found  it  would  not  be  prudent  to  attempt  to  reach  Norfolk 
by  the  Bay  Line,  and  I  decided  to  go  to  Richmond  via  Har 
per's  Ferry,  which  was  then  occupied  by  the  confederates. 
As  we  approached  the  bridge  at  the  Ferry  the  cars  were 
stopped  and  several  confederate  officers  walked  through  the 
cars  and  gravely  inspected  the  passengers.  I  am  sure  I  do 
not  know  what  for,  nor  did  they  probably.  In  fact  the  whole 
proceedings  at  this  time — in  Virginia  at  least — seemed  so  like 
a  comedy  that  were  it  not  for  the  fearful  tragedy  which  fol 
lowed  one  would  be  tempted  to  indulge  in  a  hearty  laugh  over 
them.  I  stopped  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  took  the  cars  for  Win? 
Chester  ;  they  were  crowded  with  colonels  and  majors,  but  few 
privates  were  to  be  seen.  I  learned  to  my  surprise  that  they 
were  either  going  off  on  leave  or  were  "  bearers  of  dispatches." 
The  carrying  of  dispatches — no  matter  of  how  little  impor 
tance — seemed  to  attach  a  certain  dignity  to  the  carrier. 
Accustomed  as  I  had  been  all  my  life  to  order  and  discipline 
I  was  somewhat  depressed  at  the  absence  of  it,  as  well  as  by 
the  total  ignorance  of  military  affairs  everywhere  observed 
while  on  my  way  to  Richmond.  How  little  could  I  foresee 
that  these  men  were  to  fight  and  gain  .battles  which  were  to 
be  immortalized  in  history!  I  found  in  the  cars  next  day 
General  Harney  of  the  army,  who  had  been  made  prisoner  at 
Harper's  Ferry,  while  on  his  way  to  Washington.  There 
was  of  course  no  reason  in  this,  as  war  had  not  been  proclaimed, 
and  he  was  promptly  released  upon  his  arrival  in  Richmond. 
We  stopped  a  night  at  Manassas  Junction  and  here,  as  in 
every  other  town  through  which  we  passed,  we  saw  the  people 
drilling — in  companies,  however.  At  this  time  the  State  had 
not  one  organized  regiment.  Where  we  had  companies,  the 
North  had  regiments. 

Upon  my  arrival  in  Richmond  I  reported  to  Governor  Letch- 
er,  and  was  immediately  commissioned  a  lieutenant  in  the 


THE  "  PA  WNEE "    WAR.,  205 

Virginia  State  Navy ;  and  I  may  as  well  say  here  that  as 
soon  as  the  State  was  regularly  entered  into  the  Confederacy 
I  was  commissioned  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Confederate  Navy. 
Richmond  at  this  time  was  in  a  state  difficult  to  describe. 
The  hotels  were  thronged,  troops  were  coming  in,  messengers 
were  riding  to  and  fro,  and  everybody  was  in  motion.  I  par 
ticularly  noticed  this  fact :  even  at  the  hotels  the  seats  were 
not  occupied  ;  no  one  could  sit  still.  I  suppose  the  great  ex 
citement  accounted  for  this.  The  dispatches  coming  in  hourly, 
the  reports  spread  from  mouth  to  mouth,  the  news  contained 
in  the  daily  papers  even,  were  enough  to  drive  a  reasonable 
man  crazy.  We  heard  the  most  wonderful  rumors ;  nothing 
was  too  absurd  or  ridiculous  for  belief,  and  tnen's  time  seemed 
to  be  taken  up  in  spreading  stories  that  would  have  put  Gulli 
ver  to  shame  and  made  Munchausen  hide  his  diminished  head. 
The  emanations  from  the  brain  of  a  maniac  were  logical  in 
comparison ! 

Only  the  Sunday  before  my  arrival  there  had  been  what  was 
afterwards  called  the  "  Pawnee  War."  The  steamer  Pawnee  was 
reported  to  be  coming  up  the  river,  and  all  Richmond  went  to 
arms.  What  they  thought  the  Pawnee  with  her  few  guns  and 
men  could  do  with  the  city  of  Richmond,  or  what  they  expected 
to  do  by  arming  themselves  with  shot-guns,  horse-pistols  and 
broad-swords  and  going  down  to  Rockett's  wharf  to  meet  her, 
I  could  never  discover.  No  doubt  they  only  regretted  that  they 
could  not  arm  themselves,  in  addition,  with  a  few  culverines, 
falconets  arid  saJcers  (whatever  they  may  be)  !  Hector's  arming 
at  the  siege  of  Troy  was  nothing  in  comparison.  But  the 
Pawnee  did  not  come  up  the  river  and  the  good  citizens  re 
turned  to  their  homes  to  lay  aside  their  arms  and  anxiously 
await  new  "  reports." 

The  companies  coming  in  from  the  country  were  dressed  in 
the  most  extraordinary  uniforms  the  eye  ever  rested  on ;  but 
they  were  full  of  fight.  As  they  arrived  they  were  sent  to  a 
camp  near  the  city  to  be  drilled.  It  is  useless  to  say  they 
stood  in  need  of  it.  "  What,"  said  a  drill-master  to  a  captain 


206        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

who  was  speaking  of  his  ignorance  of  the  company  drill, 
"  What,  then,  do  you  propose  to  do  with  your  men  in  time  of 
battle?"  "  Just  turn  them  loose,"  was  his  reply,  and  this  ap 
peared  to  be  the  general  idea  as  to  how  the  impending  war 
was  to  be  fought.  Men  insisted  upon  carrying  a  bowie-knife 
and  revolver  in  addition  to  a  musket,  in  the  belief  that  a 
battle  was  a  scrimmage ;  but  they  soon  knew  better,  and  after 
the  first  campaign  our  generals  could  say  with  Moliere's  mock 
doctor,  nous  avons  change  tout  cela. 

I  was  ordered  to  organize  a  battery  of  howitzers,  to  be 
manned  by  sailors  to  serve  with  the  army,  and  as  I  had  to 
have  the  guns  cast  at  the  Tredegar  works,  the  carriages  made, 
etc.,  I  was  kept  in.  Richmond  some  months,  and  had  an  oppor 
tunity  of  seeing  all  that  was  going  on. 

Soon  after  Virginia  seceded  the  Southern  troops  commenced 
coming  in,  and  were  sent  to  the  front  as  they  arrived.  I  recol 
lect  that  when  the  first  regiment  arrived  from  South  Carolina 
the  men  announced  that  they  "  had  come  to  fight  the  battles  of 
old  Virginia ; "  and  the  city  papers  inculcated  about  the  same 
idea.  One  would  have  supposed  that  South  Carolina  was  not 
at  war  with  the  United  States  and  had  had  nothing  to  do  with 
bringing  it  about !  Nothing  was  said  about  "  old  Virginia  " 
bearing  the  brunt  of  it,  as  she  was  about  to  do !  There  was 
no  use  in  trying  to  combat  the  nonsensical  ideas  that  were  put 
in  circulation ;  the  fact  is  that  about  this  time  one  half  of  the 
people  were  crazy  and  the  other  half  non  compos  mentis,  both 
north  and  south. 

The  evacuation  of  Norfolk  by  the  Federals  was  a  most 
fortunate  thing  for  the  Confederates.  Why  the  Federal 
authorities  did  this  was  always  beyond  my  comprehension. 
They  had  the  place,  and  with  the  force  at  their  command 
could  not  have  been  driven  out.  No  batteries  could  have  been 
put  up  by  the  Confederates  in  the  face  of  the  broadsides  of 
their  ships,  and  it  being  only  twelve  miles  from  Fortress 
Monroe  (Old  Point  Comfort)  it  could  have  been  reinforced  to 
any  extent.  But  they  did  give  it  up,  and  had  hardly  done 


CAPTAIN  A.  B.  FAIRFAX.  207 

so  when  they  commenced  making  preparations  to  retake  it. 
The  navy-yard  contained  a  large  number  of  heavy  cannon, 
and  these  guns  were  used  not  only  to  fortify  Norfolk  and  the 
batteries  on  the  York,  Potomac,  James,  and  Rappahannock 
rivers ;  but  were  sent  to  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi  and  Louisiana.  They  were  to 
be  found  at  Roanoke  Island,  Wilmington,  Charleston,  Mobile, 
New  Orleans,  Vicksburg,  and  many  other  places. 

Soon  after  our  occupation  of  the  Yard  Commander  Archi 
bald  B.  Fairfax  was  put  in  charge  of  the  ordnance  depart 
ment,  and  he  immediately  turned  his  attention  to  the  banding 
and  rifling  of  the  32-pounders  of  57  and  63  cwt.  I  do  not 
know  who  invented  the  machine  for  rifling  the  guns  (the  band 
ing  was  taken  from  the  Parrott  gun  probably  \  but  the  work 
was  done  under  the  supervision  of  Captain  Fairfax,  and  was, 
in  my  opinion,  the  most  important  improvement  made  in  our 
ordnance  during  the  war.  I  well  remember  that  when  the 
first  gun  was  finished  he  mounted  it  on  the  small  steamer 
Harmony  and  experimented  with  it  on  a  frigate  lying  off  New 
port's  News :  taking  a  position  outside  the  range  of  her  guns, 
he  succeeded  in  hitting  her  several  times.  Large  numbers 
of  these  banded  and  rifled  guns  were  prepared  for  the  ships 
and  batteries.  I  never  heard  of  any  of  them  bursting, 
though  I  saw  them  fired  many  times ;  the  charge  was 
eight  pounds,  and  the  projectile  weighed  about  70  pounds. 
After  the  battles  of  Roanoke  island  and  Elizabeth  City, 
Admiral  Louis  Goldsborough,  U.  S.  N.,  in  his  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  says :  "  His  (the  confederate's)  favorite 
gun  is  the  32-pounder  of  57  and  63  cwt.,  beautifully  fortified 
at  the  breech-end  by  a  long  and  massive  wrought-iron  cylin 
drical  ring,  and  so  rifled  in  the  bore  as  to  admit  of  the  use  of 
round  shot  and  grape  as  well  as  shells  by  the  simple  interposi 
tion  of  a  junk  wad  between  the  charge  of  powder  and  the 
shot  or  stand  of  grape.  His  ordnance  arrangements  through 
out  exhibit  great  skill  and  ingenuity."  Our  vessels  in  these 
battles  were  fitted  out  by  Captain  Fairfax.  I  am  glad  to 


208        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

render  him  this  tribute  as  he  never  received  the  credit  due 
him. 

Whilst  I  was  organizing  my  battery  the  steamer  Patrick 
Henry  was  fitting  out  at  Richmond  for  a  cruise  on  the  coast ; 
she  had  been  called  the  Yorktown,  and  belonged  to  the  Old 
Dominion  line  running  between  New  York  and  Richmond. 
She  was  not  at  all  fitted  for  a  man-of-war,  but  we  had  to  take  what 
we  could  get,  and  by  taking  off  her  upper  cabins,  strengthening 
her  decks,  etc.,  made  her  answer  pretty  well.  She  carried  a  bow 
and  stern  pivot,  and  ten  guns  in  broadside,  32  and  64-pounders. 
Lieutenant  William  Llewellyn  Powell  was  her  executive 
officer.  He  was,  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  war,  im 
pressed  with  the  necessity  of  having  iron-clad  vessels.  I  had 
many  conversations  with  him  on  this  subject.  He  was  cer 
tainly  the  first  man  I  met  in  the  Confederate  navy  who  saw 
that  all  navies  must  eventually  come  to  it.  He  communicated 
his  views  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  and  got  permission  to 
try  iron  on  the  Patrick  Henry.  She  was  our  first  iron  clad ! 

Powell  put  one-inch  iron  on  her  hull  abreast  the  boilers — it 
extended  a  foot  or  so  below  the  water  line,  and  ran  a  few  feet 
forward  and  abaft  her  engines  and  boilers.  One  inch  was  not 
much  protection,  but  it  was  all  she  would  bear..  On  the  spar 
deck  he  put  iron  shields,  in  the  form  of  a  V,  forward  and  abaft 
her  engines.  These  shields  were  of  heavy  timber  and  covered 
with  one  or  two  inches  of  iron.  In  fighting  head  or  stern  on, 
they  afforded  good  protection  against  a  raking  shot,  and  it 
must  be  remembered  that  as  the  Patrick  Henry  was  a  side-wheel 
boat  with  a  walking-beam  engine  this  protection  was  very 
important  to  her.  It  -must  not  be  understood  by  the  non-pro 
fessional  reader  that  the  use  of  iron  to  protect  ships  was  original 
writh  either  the  Federals  or  Confederates.  The  French  had 
iron-clad  gunboats  or  batteries  in  the  Crimean  war,  1854 ;  and 
at  the  beginning  of  our  civil  war  they  had  the  powerful  iron 
clad  frigate  Gloire,  and  the  English  had  the  Warrior.  For 
the  matter  of  that,  Haydn  in  his  dictionary  of  dates,  says : 
"  The  Santa  Anna,  the  property  of  the  knights  of  St.  John,  of 


THE  BATTLE  OF  MAN  ASS  AS.  209 

about  1700  tons,  sheathed  with  lead,  was  built  at  Nice  about 
1530.  It  was  literally  a  floating  fortress,  and  aided  Charles 
V  in  taking  Tunis  in  1535.  It  contained  a  crew  of  300  men 
and  50  pieces  of  artillery." 

Lieutenant  Powell  seeing  no  chance  of  distinction  in  the 
navy  resigned  to  enter  the  army.  He  was  made  a  brigadier 
general  and  ordered  to  command  Fort  Morgan  at  Mobile. 
Here  he  put  everything  in  a  good  state  of  defence ;  but  he  died 
of  fever  before  the  place  was  attacked  by  the  fleet  under  Far- 
ragut.  He  was  one  of  the  purest  of  men  and  a  most  reliable 
and  accomplished  officer. 

July  21,  1861,  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  or  Manassas  was 
fought.  We  in  Richmond  knew  very  little  of  it  until  the 
next  day;  but  when  the  news  did  come  we  had  the  most 
marvelous  accounts  of  it.  The  regiments  decimated  were 
innumerable,  and  the  meaning  of  this  word  was  as  little 
understood  then  as  it  is  now.  The  men-of-war  (?)  on  the 
James  river  at  this  time  were  the  Patrick  Henry,  Jamestoivn 
and  Teaser.  The  Jamestown  was  a  sister  ship  to  the  Patrick 
Henry,  but  not  so  strong.  She  mounted  two  32  pounder  rifled 
guns.  She  was  christened  the  Thomas  Jefferson  by  the  Con 
federate  government ;  but  she  was  always  known  by  her  old 
name  of  Jamestown.  The  Teaser  wras  a  tug  boat  mounting  one 
gun.  It  was  found  impossible  to  ship  crews  for  these  vessels ; 
there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  sailors  at  the  South,  and  the  lands 
men  naturally  preferred  the  army.  About  the  time  I  had  my 
guns  ready  and  the  men  enlisted,  they  were  taken  for  the  Pat 
rick  Henry,  and  Commodore  Samuel  Barren  who  had  been  put 
in  command  of  the  squadron  destined  to  operate  in  the  waters 
of  North  Carolina  offered  me  the  command  of  the  gunboat 
Beaufort.  I  gladly  accepted  the  offer  as  I  had  given  up  all 
hope  of  getting  my  howitzers  into  action  with  the  army  after 
the  battle  of  Manassas.  I  saw  soon  after  I  commenced  drill 
ing  the  men,  that  guns  drawn  by  hand  cannot  operate  with 
troops  to  advantage  unless  very  near  their  base  of  supplies.  It 
was  wise  in  the  Secretary  to  send  my  men  back  to  their  legiti- 


210        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

mate  sphere,  and  I  cheerfully  consented  to  it.  They  were  a 
fine  set  of  fellows,  and  Captain  Tucker  stationed  them  together 
at  the  bow  gun  of  the  Patrick  Henry  where  they  never  failed 
to  give  a  good  account  of  themselves  afterwards. 

The  first  hostile  shot  I  saw  fired  in  the  war  was  at  Acquia 
Creek,  where  I  went  in  June  or  July  simply  to  see  what  was  going 
on.  Upon  arriving  there  I  found  several  small  steamers  bom 
barding  our  Fort  at  Cockpit  Point.  Captain  William  F. 
Lynch  commanded  the  battery,  and  General  Ruggles  the 
department.  He  had  quite  a  force  assembled  to  resist  an 
invasion ;  but  I  thought  any  one  might  have  seen  that  the 
enemy  had  no  idea  of  landing  troops — indeed  there  were  no 
transports  in  sight.  The  bombardment  was,  I  suspect,  only 
for  the  purpose  of  drawing  our  fire,  that  they  might  see  the 
strength  of  the  battery.  It  was  carried  on  at  long  range  and 
there  was  nobody  hurt.  Upon  my  return  to  Richmond  the 
next  day  I  met  at  a  "  turnout "  a  train  conveying  the  1st 
Arkansas  regiment  to  the  seat  of  war.  The  men  were  greatly 
excited  and  eager  for  the  fray.  I  gave  them  the  news  as  the 
trains  stopped  side  by  side.  When  their  train  moved  off 
every  man  who  could  get  his  arm  out  at  a  window  did  so,  and 
the  flourishing  of  bowie-knives  made  it  look  like  a  steel-clad ! 

The  result  of  the  battle  of  Manassas  which  filled  our 
people  with  joy  and  gladness  was,  I  confess,  a  disappointment 
to  me,  and  though  it  may  seem  a  strange  thing  to  say  I  lost  hope 
of  our  final  success  at  the  time  of  our  first  great  victory.  I  do 
not  care  to  enter  into  my  reasons  for  this  impression  ;  but  that 
such  was  the  case  a  few  of  my  most  intimate  friends  know. 
I  trust  I  did  not  exhibit  this  feeling  in  my  after  career,  but 
the  results  of  our  after  victories  only  tended  to  confirm  it. 
Ay  de  mi,  Alhama  ! 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  3TA  TE  NA  VY.         211 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE  NAVY — I  JOIN  THE  REINFORCEMENT  FOR 
HATTERAS — CAPTURE  OF  CAPE  HATTERAS — COMMODORE  SAMUEL  BAR- 
RON — LIEUTENANT  WM.  H.  MURDAUGH — ROANOKE  ISLAND  —  OREGON 
INLET  —  I  ASSUME  COMMAND  OF  THE  "BEAUFORT  "—FORT  M AGON- 
COLONEL  BRIDGES  AND  HIS  COMMAND — A  PLEASANT  DAY^-READING 
UNDER  DIFFICULTIES — PUBLIC  SCHOOL  EDUCATION — THE  "  BEAUFORT'S  " 
CREW— MY  CABIN  BOY— THE  NEUSE  RIVER — TEACH,  THE  PIRATE— A 
PILOT'S  YARN — VISIT  TO  JACKSONVILLE — A  FALSE  ALARM — WASH 
INGTON,  N.  C., — A  CRUISE  ON  A  CANAL— ARRIVAL  AT  NORFOLK. 

THE  Governor  of  North  Carolina  had,  before  the  state  regu 
larly  joined  the  Confederacy,  been  going  it  on  his  own  hook,  as 
it  were.  He  fitted  out  privateers,  sent  out  blockade-runners, 
etc.,  and  got  in  so  many  stores,  that  it  was  observed  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  that  the  North  Carolina  troops  were  the 
best  armed,  and  best  clothed  men  that  passed  through  Richmond. 
The  steamer  Winslow,  a  small  side-wheel  boat,  under  Captain 
Thomas  M.  Crossan,  formerly  of  the  Navy,  was  very  active  in 
cruising  outside  of  Cape  Hatteras  as  a  privateer,  and  captured 
some  valuable  prizes.  The  men  found  in  them  were  generally 
foreigners  and  many  of  them  entered  our  service,  as  I  have 
reason  to  know.  When  the  State  became  one  of  the  Confederate 
States,  her  vessels  were  all  turned  over  to  the  navy  and  became 
men-of-war,  and  not  privateers.  The  vessels  thus  turned  over 
were :  the  Winslow,  Commander  Arthur  Sinclair ;  the  Ellis,  Com 
mander  W.  B.  Muse  ;  the  Raleigh,  Lieutenant  commanding 
Alexander ;  and  the  Beaufort.  The  Winslow  and  Ellis  were 
at  Hatteras  ;  the  Raleigh  at  Oregon  Inlet,  and  the  Beaufort  at 
Newbern. 

Commodore  Barron  being  in  Norfolk,  I  went  there  early 
in  August  to  report.  He  directed  me  to  remain  and  fit  out  a 


212        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

launch  for  service  in  Albemarle  and  Pamlico  Sounds,  and 
when  ready  to  take  her  to  Cape  Hatteras  and  leave  her.  The 
three  entrances  into  Pamlico  Sound, — Oregon,  Hatteras  and 
Ocracoke  inlets, — were  guarded  by  fortifications  and  garrisoned 
by  North  Carolina  troops.  Hatteras,  being  the  principal 
entrance,  was  especially  well  fortified.  I  had  the  launch  well 
fitted  out  with  sails  and  a  howitzer  and  when  ready  to  start, 
began  to  consider  how  I  was  to  get  to  Hatteras,  as  I  had  no 
men.  About  the  24th  of  August  we  heard  that  a  squadron 
under  Flag  Officer  Stringham,  with  troops  under  General 
Butler,  had  appeared  off  the  place  ;  and  the  3d  Georgia  regi 
ment,  which  up  to  this  time  had  been  stationed  at  Norfolk, 
was  ordered  to  reinforce  the  garrison  there.  Captain  Thomas 
Hunter  of  the  navy  was  put  in  command  of  the  expedition. 
The  3d  Georgia  was  a  remarkably  fine  regiment,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Wright,  and  was  afterwards  highly  distinguished. 
Up  to  this  time  it  had  never  been  in  action,  and  the  men  were 
very  eager  for  one. 

Captain  Hunter  offered  to  tow  me  down,  and  I  gladly 
accepted  his  offer.  We  had  one  small  steamer  for  the  officers, 
and  the  men  were  towed  in  canal  boats.  We  left  Norfolk 
about  the  27th  of  August,  and  went  through  the  Chesapeake 
and  Albemarle  canal.  We  stopped  at  several  places  along  the 
canal,  and  at  landings  on  the  Croatan  river,  but  got  no  news. 
I  think  it  was  on  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  that,  as  we  were 
making  the  best  of  our  way  down  Albemarle  Sound,  we  met  a 
schooner  under  full  sail  for  Edenton.  Upon  hailing  her,  we 
were  told  that  Hatteras  had  fallen  the  day  before,  and  all  but ; 
a  few  of  the  garrison  were  prisoners.  There  were  a  few  officers 
on  board  who  had  escaped  in  small  boats.  I  never  knew  much 
about  this  affair ;  but  it  seems  that  after  the  ships  had  bom 
barded  the  two  forts  for  a  day  or  two,  a  force  was  landed.  Our 
men  abandoned  the  upper  fort,  and  retreated  to  the  lower  one, 
seeing  which  the  enemy  took  possession  of  it.  Commodore 
Barron  who  arrived  at  this  time  landed  with  his  Flag  Lieu 
tenant  William  Sharpe,  and  Lieutenant  W.  H.  Murdaugh, 


LIEUTENANT  WM.  H.  MURDAUGH.  213 

and  was  earnestly  solicited  by  Colonel  Martin,  who  com 
manded  the  fort,  to  assume  the  supreme  command.  This  he 
unwisely  did,  in  his  great  desire  to  render  all  the  aid  and 
assistance  in  his  power.  The  Federals  in  the  upper  fort  now 
opened  a  fire  with  their  rifles  in  addition  to  the  fire  from  the 
ships,  and  on  the  29th  the  place  surrendered.  The  steamers 
Winslow  and  Ellis  got  away,  the  former  to  Newbern  and  the 
latter  to  Washington  on  the  Pamlico  river,  after  taking  off  the 
garrison  at  Ocracoke  inlet. 

Lieutenant  Murdaugh  was  badly  wounded  while  serving  a 
gun  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell ;  but  was  gotten  off  to  the 
Winslow  and  escaped  being  made  prisoner.  The  officer  who 
gave  us  the  information  spoke  of  his  gallantry  in  the  highest 
terms  as  well  as  of  that  of  Commodore  Barren.  Murdaugh 
who  resembled  Somers,  inasmuch  as  he  "  had  no  more  dodge  in 
him  than  the  mainmast,"  suffered  for  some  months  from  his 
wound ;  but  he  did  gallant  service  to  the  end  of  the  war.  He 
as  well  as  Powell  were  midshipmen  with  me  in  the  old  Potomac. 
Our  papers  were  loud  in  their  remarks  about  the  Hatteras 
affair  (of  course)  and  Commodore  Barron's  action  was  the  sub 
ject  of  much  unkind  and  unjust  criticism.  The  fact  is  the  gal 
lant  commodore  in  his  desire  (as  I  have  said)  to  do  all  he 
could  for  the  cause,  acted  as  nine  out  of  ten  men  of  spirit  would 
have  done  under  the  circumstances.  I  have  spoken  of  it  as 
unwise  for  the  reason  that  his  command  was  afloat ;  and  it  was 
a  thankless  task  to  have  the  command  ashore  forced  upon  him 
at  the  eleventh  hour.  The  commodore  had  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  Colonel  Martin  and  his  men  highly  appreciated 
his  services  and  the  department  approved  his  action.  If  the 
attack  on  Hatteras  had  been  made  a  few  months  later  in  the 
war,  when  our  men  had  learned  how  little  damage  the  fire  of 
ships  does  to  earthworks,  the  fort  would  not  have  fallen — wit 
ness  the  defence  of  Fort  McAllister  March,  1863. 

Upon  our  receiving  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Hatteras  wre  landed 
the  Georgians  on  Roanoke  island  and  proceeded  in  the  small 
steamer  to  Oregon  Inlet,  which  was  still  held  by  its  garrison. 


214         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Upon  our  arrival,  a  council  was  held  and  it  was  resolved  to  evacu 
ate  the  place  and  remove  the  guns,  &c.  to  Roanoke  Island ;  this 
was  done,  and  Alexander  in  the  Raleigh  rendered  great  assist 
ance  in  it.  There  was  really  a  strong  and  very  well  constructed 
fortification  at  Oregon  Inlet,  and  some  objection  was  made  to 
evacuating  it — among  others  the  engineer  who  constructed  it 
was  very  loth  to  abandon  it — but  after  the  fall  of  Hatteras  it 
became  of  absolutely  no  importance.  The  principal  entrance 
to  the  sound  being  open  what  earthly  reason  could  there  be  for 
holding  the  other  two  ?  I  do  not  think  the  Federals  occupied 
the  forts  at  either  Oregon  or  Ocracoke  Inlets  during  the  war — 
they  had  no  occasion  to !  I  returned  to  Roanoke  Island  with 
Captain  Hunter  and  was  sent  by  him  to  Norfolk  with  dis 
patches  to  Commodore  Forrest.  The  launch,  I  left  in  charge 
of  Boatswain  Hasker — afterward  Lieutenant  Hasker,  an  ener 
getic,  valuable  officer — to  be  used  in  landing  stores  for  the 
troops  on  the  island.  Upon  my  reporting  to  the  commodore 
he  insisted  upon  my  going  immediately  by  rail  to  Newbern 
and  taidng  charge  of  the  Beaufort,  which  I  proceeded  to  do. 
Upon  my  arrival  there  I  found  the  Beaufort  at  the  wharf  with 
a  few  officers  on  board,  but  no  crew.  She  had  been  commanded 
by  Captain  Duval  while  in  the  State  service,  and  he  and  his 
officers  and  men  had  left.  The  Beaufort  wras  a  small  iron  pro 
peller,  built  for  service  on  the  canal.  She  was  94  fret  long  and 
17  feet  broad  ;  her  iron  was  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 
Her  deck  had  been  strengthened  and  shored  up,  and  forward  she 
carried  a  long  32  pounder  which  was  soon  afterwards  exchanged 
for  a  banded  and  rifled  57  cwt.  32  pounder.  Her  magazine 
was  just  forward  of  the  boiler,  and  both  magazine  and  boiler 
were  above  the  water  line  and  exposed  to  shot.  She  carried 
35  officers  and  men. 

From  Hatteras  the  Federals  could  advance  on  Norfolk  by 
the  way  of  Albemarle  Sound,  attack  Newbern  on  the  Neuse, 
or  Washington  on  the  Pamlico  river.  The  entrance  to  Albe 
marle  Sound  was  defended  by  batteries  on  Roanoke  Island, 
then  being  hastily  constructed.  Newbern  was  defended  by  a 


FORT  MACON.  215 

small  fort  on  the  river,  a  few  miles  below,  and  Washington  in 
the  same  manner.  The  enemy  made  a  great  mistake  in  not 
taking  possession  of  the  sounds  immediately  after  capturing 
Hatteras  ;  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  it  but  two  small  gun 
boats  carrying  one  gun  each.  Two  of  the  small  steamers  under 
Flag  Officer  Stringham  should  have  swept  the  sounds,  and  a 
force  should  have  occupied  Roanoke  island.  This  at  least  could 
have  been  done  had  the  Federals  seized  their  opportunity ;  but, 
as  is  so  often  the  case  in  war,  they  failed  to  make  use  of  it. 
A  striking  instance  of  this  occurred  when  General  Butler 
landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred,  on  the  James  river,  in  the  sum 
mer  of  1864 :  he  advanced  cautiously  in  the  direction  of  How- 
letts.  Had  he  advanced  promptly  and  boldly  he  could  have 
taken  Drury's  Bluff  (Fort  Darling),  and  even  Richmond  itself. 
But,  as  the  soldier  said :  "  our  hind  sights  are  better  than  our 
fore  sights !" 

While  I  was  getting  the  Beaufort  ready,  Commodore 
W.  F.  Lynch,  who  was  appointed  to  succeed  Commodore  Barron 
(then  a  prisoner)  in  the  command,  arrived  at  Newbern  ;  and, 
as  great  anxiety  was  felt  concerning  Fort  Macon  which  it  was 
thought  would  soon  be  attacked,  General  Gatlin,  who  com 
manded  the  dep^'tment,  and  the  Governor  of  the  State  met 
him  for  consultation.  I  had  gone  to  my  room  and  was  about 
retiring  when  a  rap  at  the  door  announced  Lieutenant  Pat 
M.  wrho  said  the  Commodore  desired  to  see  me  immediately. 
"  What  does  he  want  ?  "  said  I.  "  Well,"  said  M.,  "  he  wants 
you  to  go  into  Fort  Macon  as  chief  ordnance  officer."  "  Why 
does  he  send  me,"  growled  I,  "  when  he  knows  I'm  fitting  out 
my  vessel,  and  there  are  plenty  of  other  officers  about,  doing 
nothing  ?  "  "  Well,"  said  M.,  "  we  talked  it  over,  and  decided 
you  were  the  man  for  the  place."  Now  be  it  known  that 
after  Commodore  Barron's  experience  at  Cape  Hatteras  we 
of  the  Navy  had  no  particular  desire  to  follow  his  example ; 
but  there  was  no  appeal :  so  when  I  presented  myself  before 
the  council  and  was  told  by  Commodore  Lynch  that  he  had 
offered  my  services  to  General  Gatlin,  I  thanked  him  for  the 


216      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

honor  and  said  how  extremely  happy  I  should  be  to  render 
any  service,  etc.,  etc.  It  was  arranged  that  I  should  go  down 
in  a  special  train  next  morning  at  daylight,  and  I  made  my 
preparations ;  growling  to  myself  all  the  time  like  a  quarter 
gunner,  and  then  turned  in  for  a  few  hours'  sleep. 

Upon  reaching  the  depot  the  next  morning,  I  found  Com 
modore  Lynch  and  all  the  naval  officers  there,  with  the  crew 
of  the  Winslow,  the  only  vessel  in  port.  I  learned  to  my  great 
satisfaction  that  the  Commodore  had  determined  to  go  into  the 
fort  with  his  entire  force  ;  information  having  been  received 
during  the  night  that  it  would  probably  be  attacked  that  day. 
This  pleased  me  very  much  ;  for  though  I  strongly  objected  to 
"  going  it  alone,"  being  inclined  rather  "  to  pass,"  I  had  no  ob 
jection  to  being  "  ordered  up  "  with  the  entire  party. 

Most  of  the  naval  officers  present,  objected  to  going  though, 
of  course,  not  in  the  commodore's  hearing ;  it  was  not  that 
they  Avould  not  gladly  have  gone  in  their  ships  (had  they  had 
any),  but  the  impression  made  by  the  harsh  reflections  upon 
Commodore  Barron  was  too  strong  to  be  removed.  Just 
as  the  cars  were  about  to  start,  Pat  M made  his  appear 
ance — his  face  as  red  as  fire,  a  carbine  over  his  shoulder,  and 
a  jug  of  pelos  cochos  in  his  hand — and  said  he  had  been  or 
dered  to  remain  in  Newbern  to  take  charge  of  the  few  men 
left  behind.  He  growled  about  it  so  much  that  one  of  the 
officers  (upon  what  we  all  considered  good  grounds)  offered  to 

take  his  place  and  let  him  go.  "No,"  says  M ,  "I'll obey 

orders."  "Well  give  us  your  jug"  said  the  officer,  and  off 
we  went. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Fort  Macon  we  were  received  with 
great  joy  by  Colonel  Bridges,  the  officer  in  command.  The 
colonel  had  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Bethel  as  a 
captain,  had  been  promoted,  and  placed  in  command  of  Fort 
Macon.  As  he  said  himself  he  knew  nothing  about  heavy 
artillery  or  the  defence  of  fortified  places.  "  I  only  know," 
said  he,  "  that  that  flag  must  not  come  down  "  and  no  one 
who  knew  this  gallant  man  could  doubt  that  it  would  only  be 


COLONEL  BRIDGES  AND  HIS  COMMAND.      217 

lowered  after  a  desperate  defence,  if  at  all.  The  colonel  re- 
ceeived  me  as  the  ordnance  officer  most  cordially.  "  Now," 
he  remarked,  "my  mind  is  at  rest;"  and  I  am  sure  that  as 
soon  as  he  felt  that  his  men  had  been  properly  instructed  and 
that  his  ammunition  was  all  right,  he  would  have  welcomed 
the  presence  of  an  attacking  force. 

We  found  in  Fort  Macon  Mr.  Ruffin,  who  had  fired  the 
first  gun  at  Fort  Sumter.  He  was  an  old  man,  an  English 
man  by  birth,  and  I  thought,  was  very  much  out  of  place. 

The  first  thing  I  did  upon  assuming  my  duties  was  to  send  a 
few  crews  to  their  guns  and  direct  them  to  fire  at  a  target 
which  had  been  already  placed.  I  had  previously  made  up 
my  mind  not  to  openly  correct  any  small  mistakes,  fearing  to 
discourage  the  garrison  on  the  eve  of  an  engagement ;  but  I 
was  glad  to  see  that  the  men  did  their  work  very  well,  and 
made  some  fair  shots.  I  expressed  myself  to  the  colonel 
as  very  well  pleased,  but  my  pleasure  was  nothing  compared  to 
that  exhibited  by  the  other  naval  officers.  Their  delight, 
surprise  and  admiration  were  loudly  expressed  ;  they  said  that 
the  sailors  were  not  wanted,  that  they  could  not  do  as  well  as 
the  soldiers,  and  in  fact,  that  they  might  as  well  return  to 
Newbern.  So  by  the  afternoon  train  the  whole  "  kit  and 
boodle  "  of  them  (so  to  speak)  left,  and  I  was  alone  in  my 
glory. 

Fort  Macon  was  garrisoned  by  six  companies  of  North 
Carolina  troops,  recruited  in  the  neighborhood ;  and  a  more 
orderly,  obedient,  well-behaved  set  of  men  I  did  not  fall  in 
with  during  the  war.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Sloan  was  the 
second  in  command,  and  Lieutenant  Coleman  was  the  ordnance 
officer.  I  only  wish  I  could  recall  the  names  of  more  of  the 
officers,  the  adjutant's  especially,  for  their  hospitality  to  me 
was  unbounded.  The  spirit  of  the  colonel  was  reflected  by 
the  men.  All  hands  were  full  of  enterprise  and  pluck  ;  and  I 
had  been  with  them  but  a  few  days  when  I  felt  ready  to  go 
into  an  engagement  with  them  with  pleasure.  Fort  Macon  at 
that  time  would  not  have  fallen  without  a  brave  defence. 
10 


218       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

The  fort  is  on  a  strip  of  sand  lying  about  two  miles  off  the 
main  land,  and  is  reached  from  Beaufort  and  Morehead  City 
by  boat.  On  the  beach  below  the  fort  was  encamped  a  regi 
ment  commanded  by  Colonel  Zebulon  Vance,  afterwards  Gov 
ernor  of  the  State,  and  at  'present  U.  S.  Senator.  I  recall  a 
very  pleasant  day  sailing  over  to  his  camp  from  Morehead 
City,  in  company  with  Commodore  Lynch,  of  the  Dead  Sea 
Expedition,  Colonel  Vance,  and  Mr.  Burgwyn,  of  North  Car 
olina,  all  brilliant  conversationalists.  Mr.  Burgwyn's  son  was 
the  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  Vance's  regiment — he  was  killed  at 
Gettysburg,  while  in  command  of  it. 

I  could  never  account  for  the  feeling  of  confinement  I  used 
to  experience  in  the  fort.  It  is  true  I  had  never  lived  in  case 
mates  before ;  but  I  had  passed  years  in  small  vessels,  in  apart 
ments  ten  feet  square.  Yet  when  the  gates  were  closed  at 
night  I  always  had  a  "  shut  up  "  feeling — I  could  not  seem  to 
breathe  freely — and  as  soon  as  they  were  thrown  open  in  the 
morning  I  was  the  first  man  out,  and  many  were  the  long 
walks  I  took  with  Colonel  Bridges  on  the  beach. 

On  one  occasion  I  had  to  pass  some  days  alone  at  the  tavern 
in  Morehead  City.  I  do  not  recollect  now  why  I  was  there, 
but  I  not  only  had  no  companions,  but  no  books.  Not  a  book 
was  to  be  had  on  the  premises.  One  afternoon  after  walking 
wearily  about  the  village  looking  in  vain  for  reading  matter 
I  went  to  my  room,  and  my  eye  happening  to  rest  on  my  trunk 
I  observed  that  it  was  lined  with  newspapers  ;  it  was  what  is 
known  as  a  "  shoe  trunk."  I  took  out  the  clothing,  held  the 
trunk  up  in  a  good  light,  and  read  everything  I  could  get  at 
without  twisting  my  head  off!  This  was  not  the  only  time 
during  the  war  when,  if  I  did  not  regret  knowing  how  to 
read,  I  did  regret  being  fond  of  it.  I  have  always  held 
the  opinion  that  it  is  of  more  importance  to  a  man  who 
has  to  make  a  living  by  making  boots,  (for  example),  to 
know  how  to  make  a  good  one  than  to  know  how  to  read 
and  write;  and  it  would  be  well  if  our  wiseacres  in  their 
howl  for  more  public-school  education  would  pause  to  reflect 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  EDUCATION.  219 

whether  the  country  is  not  feeling  the  want  of  skilled  labor, 
and  our  streets  are  not  being  filled  with  idle  young  men — 
whether,  in  fact,  the  public  schools  are  not  teaching  the  work 
ing  classes  everything  but  how  to  make  an  honest  living  !  It 
is  not  all  of  education  to  know  how  to  read  and  write.  I  have 
seen  many  a  man-of-war's  man  who  could  do  neither,  and  yet 
be  quick  of  apprehension,  prompt  to  execute,  truthful,  brave 
and  self-denying ;  and  as  far  superior  to  the  city  hoodlum  or 
country  bumpkin  in  all  the  qualities  that  go  to  make  a  man,  as 
it  is  possible  for  one  man  to  excel  another. 

During  the  dreary  time  I  was  watching  the  movements  of 
the  enemy  at  Hatteras  in  the  Beaufort  whilst  I  was  bored  to 
death  for  the  want  of  something  to  read — there  being  little  else 
to  do  after  the  morning  exercise — my  pilot,  who  had  passed 
his  life  on  these  waters,  managed  to  pass  his  time  very  pleas 
antly,  every  bird  that  flew  overhead,  or  fish  that  swam  along 
side  gave  him  some  occupation  or  food  for  thought.  He  was  a 
philosopher,  inasmuch  as  he  had  learned  to  live  in  the  present. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  say  that  education  (understood  in  its  or 
dinary  sense)  cannot  injure  a  man.  It  depends  upon  his  man 
ner  of  living,  and  in  many  cases  it  renders  his  life  unhappy, 
and  to  that  extent  injures  him.  "  Oh,"  said  the  keeper  of  a 
lock  on  the  canal  when  I  remarked  upon  the  loneliness  of  the 
place :  "  I  don't  know,  sometimes  we  have  as  many  as  five  or 
six  boats  passing  in  a  day !"  So  after  all  every  man  looks 
upon  life  from  a  different  standpoint  and  all  happiness  is  com 
parative. 

But  all  this  philosophizing  has  nothing  to  do  with  Fort 
Macon!  During  my  two  weeks'  stay  the  U.  S.  steamer 
Susquehanna  arrived  to  blockade  the  port.  She  anchored  out 
of  gunshot  of  the  fort,  though  near  enough  to  the  beach  to  have 
shelled  Vance's  regiment  if  Captain  Lardner  had  felt  so  in 
clined.  Beaufort  which  is  25  miles  from  Newbern  has  an  ex 
cellent  harbor,  and  I  wonder  that  more  blockade  runners  did 
not  use  it  the  first  year  of  the  war.  The  Nashville,  Captain 
Pegram,  was  the  only  one  I  knew  to  go  there.  The  fort  was 


220      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

taken  and  the  town  occupied  by  the  Federals  in  April, 
1862. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  an  army  officer  to  relieve  me  I  left  the 
fort  and  returned  to  Newbern  to  resume  the  fitting  out  of  the 
Beaufort.  I  made  up  a  crew  principally  of  men  who  had  been 
in  the  prizes  captured  by  the  Winslow.  I  had  but  one  American 
in  the  crew — a  green  hand  who  shipped  as  a  coal  heaver.  My 
officers  at  this  time  were  midshipmen  Charles  K.  Mallory  and 
Virginius  Newton,  pilot  James  Hopkins,  engineer  Hanks,  and 
captain's  clerk  Richard  Byrd. 

The  crew  was  composed  of  Englishmen  (two  of  whom  were 
splendid  specimens  of  man-of-war's-men)  Danes  and  Swedes. 
I  never  sailed  with  a  better  one,  and  I  never  knew  them  to 
fail  in  their  duty ;  indeed  I  used  to  wonder  at  their  eagerness 
to  go  into  battle  considering  the  fact  that  they  knew  nothing 
at  all  about  the  cause  of  the  war ;  but  a  sailor  is  a  sailor  all 
the  world  over.  I  found  it  difficult  to  ship  a  cook  and  stew 
ard,  and  finally  took  as  cabin-boy  a  youth  of  14  years  of  age 
who  told  me  he  had  been  "  raised  in  the  neighborhood."  I  did 
not  doubt  it,  for  as  captain  Simon  Suggs  says :  "  You  could  see 
the  marks  on  his  legs  where  he  had  stood  in  the  swamp  while 
gathering  berries  the  previous  summer."  I  remember  his 
appearance  well.  The  first  day  he  came  into  the  cabin  to 
announce  dinner  he  stuck  his  head  suddenly  into  my  very  small 
state  room  and,  as  I  wras  sitting  in  my  bunk,  this  brought  his 
face  within  six  inches  of  mine ;  this  seemed  so  to  startle  him 
that  he  could  only  open  his  eyes  and  mouth :  "  Well !"  said  I, 
"  what  do  you  want  ?"  "  The  vittels  is  up,"  he  gasped  and 
evaporated.  That  night  he  deserted,  and  I  saw  him  no  more. 
My  appearance,  whatever  it  was,  was  too  much  for  him. 

During  the  month  of  October,  1861,  we  remained  in  the 
Beaufort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Neuse  river  on  the  lookout 
for  any  movement  from  Hatteras.  No  enemy  appeared,  but 
as  I  had  occasion  frequently  to  go  up  and  down  the  river  I 
ran  some  risk  from  the  fort  below  Newbern.  I  could  never 
get  them  to  understand  my  signals.  When  I  passed  them  at 


A  PILOTS  YARN.  221 

night  they  would  give  me  a  shot  first  and  then  send  off  a  boat  to 
make  inquiries !  However  it  did  me  no  harm  and  it  gave  them 
practice.  I  used  to  hold  long  conversations  with  a  pilot  I  met 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Neuse  river.  He  had  passed  his  life  on 
the  sound,  and  was  a  real  old-fashioned  fellow,  a  believer  in 
signs  and  tokens.  He  told  me  of  his  many  attempts  to  find 
the  money  buried  by  Teach  the  pirate.  Teach  frequented 
Pamlico  Sound  and  used  to  lie  at  an  island  in  it  from  which  he 
could  watch  Hatteras  and  Ocracoke  Inlets.  I  visited  this 
island  and  every  square  foot  of  earth  on  it  had  had  a  spade  in 
it  in  the  search  for  Teach's  money.  Everybody  hereabouts 
believed  that  Teach  had  buried  a  large  amount  of  money  some 
where  on  the  shore  of  the  sound.  This  pilot  told  me  he  had 
sometimes  seen  lights  on  the  shore,  which  lights  indicated  the 
spot  where  the  money  was  buried.  The  great  point  was  to  get 
to  the  place  before  the  light  was  extinguished.  He  said  he 
had  several  times  jumped  into  a  boat  and  pulled  for  one,  but 
unfortunately  the  light  always  disappeared  before  he  could 
reach  the  shore. 

"  Such  was  the  tale  that  was  told  to  me 
By  that  shattered  and  battered  son  of  the  sea. " 

I  went  in  the  Beaufort  one  afternoon  to  a  place  called  Jack 
sonville,  situated  on  a  creek  emptying  into  Pamlico  Sound.  I 
had  some  doubt  about  leaving  the  mouth  of  the  Neuse,  but 
something  of  importance  took  me  to  Jacksonville.  I  arrived 
there  at  sunset  and  made  fast  to  the  wharf.  The  inhabitants 
knew  nothing  of  the  Beaufort  and  thought  it  was  a  gunboat 
from  Hatteras ;  so  every  man,  woman  and  child  took  to  the 
woods.  There  was  not  a  soul  left  in  the  town  when  I  arrived. 
My  pilot  went  on  shore  and  by  throwing  out  friendly  signals 
at  last  brought  them  down,  and  very  soon  the  vessel  was 
crowded  with  people.  About  10  o'clock  that  night  a  report 
came  that  the  enemy  had  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Neuse 
river ;  it  was  brought  by  two  young  men  who  said  they  were 
there  and  had  barely  time  to  jump  on  their  horses  and  escape. 


222        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


was  a  "  category  "  as  Captain  Truck  says.  The  creek  was 
so  narrow  and  intricate  that  my  pilot  said  he  could  not  take 
the  steamer  down  before  daylight,  and  by  that  time  the  enemy 
would  be  well  on  the  way  to  Newbern.  After  some  delay  I 
persuaded  a  man  to  ride  back  to  the  river  for  further  informa 
tion.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  suffered  more  in  my  life  than 
while  awaiting  his  return.  Towards  morning  my  scout  re- 
,  turned.  It  was  a  false  alarm  —  there  was  no  enemy  there.  It 
seems  that  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  there  lived  a  widow 
with  two  pretty  daughters  who  were  the  belles  of  the  neighbor 
hood.  The  two  Jacksonville  young  men  wrere  paying  them  a 
visit  when  some  soldiers  on  leave  from  Newbern  arrived. 
The  soldiers  saw  one  of  the  young  ladies  outside  the  house,  and 
learning  of  the  presence  of  the  two  young  men  determined  to 
get  rid  of  them  ;  so  they  put  up  a  joke  which  the  ladies  entered 
into  with  spirit.  They  charged  up  to  the  house  hurraing  at 
the  top  of  their  lungs,  the  ladies  cried  "  Yankees,"  and  our 
two  heroes  "  vamosed  the  ranche."  The  next  morning  I  made 
the  best  of  my  way  back  to  my  station,  and  about  the  end  of 
October  went  to  Newbern  for  coal. 

Shortly  after,  Commodore  Lynch  arrived  in  the  Seabird 
accompanied  by  the  Raleigh,  Fanny,  and  Forrest.  The  Fanny 
which  had  been  captured  near  Oregon  Inlet  by  the  Seabird 
and  Raleigh  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Tayloe,  and  the 
Forrest  by  Lieutenant  Hoole.  Each  carried  a  32  pounder 
rifled  gun.  I  was  sent  in  the  Beaufort  to  Washington  to  re 
lieve  the  Ellis,  Captain  Muse.  We  went  up  the  Pamlico  river 
by  night,  passed  the  fort  without  being  seen,  and  went  through 
the  "  obstructions"  (of  which  we  knew  nothing)  without  diffi 
culty.  This  "obstruction"  consisted  of  piles  driven  in  the 
channel,  and  like  all  such  amounted  to  "  a  row  of  pins."  The 
good  people  of  Washington  were  much  surprised  at  seeing  us 
quietly  at  anchor  the  next  morning,  and  it  taught  them  a  lesson. 

It  being  the  opinion  of  the  authorities  in  Richmond  that 
the  enemy  would  soon  make  an  attempt  on  Roanoke  island 
Commodore  Lynch  determined  to  assemble  his  squadron  there. 


ARRIVAL  A  T  NORFOLK.  223 

The  Beaufort  was  ordered  to  Norfolk  to  have  the  gun  re 
placed  by  a  rifled  32-pounder.  We  went  through  the  Chesa 
peake  and  Albemarle  canal,  which  was  my  first  experience  in 
that  kind  of  navigation.  I  believe  we  kept  the  mast-head  look 
out  as  usual.  We  had  fine  weather  and  a  smooth  sea  in  the 
canal,  doubled  the  locks  without  difficulty,  and  arrived  at  the 
Norfolk  Navy  Yard  about  the  middle  of  December. 


224       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A  VISIT  TO  NEWBERN — CHANGE  OF  OFFICEES — JOIN  THE  SQUADRON  AT 
ROANOKE  ISLAND  —  WISE'S  BRIGADE  —  THE  DEFENCES  OF  ROANOKE 
ISLAND — COMMODORE  LYNCH  S  SQUADRON— THE  BURNSIDE  EXPEDITION 
— FLAG-OFFICER  GOLDSBOROUGH's  FLEET— AN  EVENING  WITH  COMMO 
DORE  LYNCH — BATTLE  OF  ROANOKE  ISLAND — INCIDENTS — RETREAT  OF 
THE  SQUADRON  TO  ELIZABETH  CITY. 

ON  the  24th  of  December  I  was  sent  by  Commodore  Lynch 
by  rail  to  Newbern  to  appraise  a  small  steamer  bought  by 
him  for  the  Navy.  I  found  Newbern  in  an  excited  state, 
fearing  an  attack  from  Hatteras,  and  the  scene  of  constant 
alarms.  Only  the  night  of  my  arrival  I  was  sent  for  by  the 
colonel  in  comand  to  whom  I  had  offered  my  services,  and 
informed  that  they  had  signalled  from  one  of  the  posts  below 
that  the  enemy  wras  coming  up  the  river.  While  we  were 
waiting  further  news  a  captain  came  in  and  requested  to  be 
relieved  from  the  command  of  a  battery  on  the  river.  He 
said  he  knew  nothing  about  guns,  and  if  the  enemy  was 
coming  up  he  wished  to  be  relieved.  He  proposed  that  I 
should  take  his  place.  This  did  not  look  well,  but  I  suppose  it 
was  an  isolated  case.  Newbern  made  a  good  defence  when 
the  time  came  for  it. 

Upon  my  return  to  Norfolk  I  found  the  Beaufort  nearly 
ready.  Mr.  Hopkins,  my  pilot,  left  me  here  and  I  secured 
another.  Mr.  Bain  relieved  Mr.  Byrd  as  my  clerk,  and  Lieu 
tenant  Johnson  joined  as  executive  officer.  Johnson,  who  wras 
from  Fredericksburg,  was  a  classmate  of  mine.  He  had  been 
engaged  in  a  duel,  as  second,  while  at  the  Naval  Academy  and 
was  dismissed,  as  I  have  before  mentioned.  He  went  in  1848  to 
California,  and  though  afterwards  reinstated  in  the  Navy  de 
clined  to  return.  He  told  me  he  was  living  on  his  rancJie  in 


JOIN  THE  SQUADRON  AT  ROANOKE  ISLAND.   225 

California  when  he  heard  of  the  secession  of  Virginia,  and  that 
he  turned  the  key  in  his  door  and  left  for  home.  He  left  me 
after  the  battle  of  Elizabeth  City  and  was  ordered  to  New 
Orleans.  After  the  fall  of  that  city  he  went  to  Wilmington 
where  he  was  drowned  while  going  to  the  assistance  of  a 
blockade  runner.  He  was  a  very  modest  man,  but  a  most 
determined  and  courageous  one — every  inch  a  gentleman  he 
wras  as  cool  a  man  under  fire  as  I  ever  saw. 

About  the  middle  of  January  I  proceeded  in  the  Beaufort 
to  join  the  squadron  at  Koanoke  Island.  This  island,  which 
lies  on  Croatan  Sound  between  Pamlico  and  Albemarle 
Sounds,  was  garrisoned  by  a  regiment  of  North  Carolina 
troops,  in  command  of  Colonel  Shaw.  The  district  was  com 
manded  by  General  Henry  A.  Wise,  and  his  brigade  was 
ordered  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  the  island.  His  brigade,  as 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  find  out,  was  distributed  between 
Elizabeth  City  and  Nag's  Head.  Nag's  Head,  which  is  abreast 
of  Roanoke  Island,  on  the  sea  shore,  about  three  miles  across, 
was  General  Wise's  head-quarters.  Why  General  Wise  when 
he  was  ordered  to  the  command  did  not  establish  his  head 
quarters  on  Roanoke  Island,  and  order  all  his  troops  and 
artillery  there,  was  what  I  have  never  been  able  to  discover. 
Nag's  Head  itself  could  have  been  rendered  untenable  by  the 
fire  of  one  Federal  gunboat. 

Three  forts  had  been  constructed  on  the  island  to  protect 
the  channel.  The  upper  one  was  on  Weir's  Point  and  was 
named  Fort  Huger.  It  mounted  twelve  guns,  principally  32- 
pounders  of  33  cwt.,  and  was  commanded  by  Major  John  Tay 
lor,  formerly  of  the  Navy.  About  If  miles  below,  on  Pork 
Point,  was  Fort  Bartow ;  it  mounted  seven  guns,  five  of  which 
were  32-pounders  of  33  cwt.,  and  two  were  rifled  32-pounders. 
This  fort,  which  was  the  only  one  subsequently  engaged  in  the 
defense,  was  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  B.  P.  Loyall,  of  the  Navy. 
Between  these  two  points  wras  a  small  battery.  On  the  main  land 
opposite  the  island,  at  Redstone  Point,  was  a  battery  called  Fort 
Forrest.  The  guns,  which  were  32-pounders,  were  mounted  on 


226      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

the  deck  of  a  canal-boat  which  had  been  hauled  up  in  the 
mud  and  placed  so  that  the  guns  would  command  the  chan 
nel.  The  channel  itself  was  obstructed  a  little  above  Fort 
Huger  by  piling.  It  was  hoped  that  these  batteries,  with 
the  assistance  of  Commodore  Lynch's  squadron,  would  be 
able  to  prevent  the  enemy's  ships  from  passing  the  island. 
The  great  mistake  on  our  part  was  in  not  choosing  the 
proper  point  at  which  to  dispute  the  entrance  to  the  Sound. 
The  fortifications  and  vessels  should  have  been  at  the  "  marshes," 
a  few  miles  below,  where  the  channel  is  very  narrow.  I  do  not 
know  who  was  responsible  for  the  selection  of  the  points  for 
tified  as  I  was  not  at  the  island  when  ground  was  first  broken. 

The  squadron  under  Commodore  Lynch  consisted  of  the 
Seabird  (flagship),  Captain  McCarrick ;  Curlew,  Captain  Hun 
ter  ;  Ellis,  Captain  Cooke ;  Appomattox,  Captain  Sims ;  Beau 
fort,  Captain  Parker;  Raleigh,  Captain  Alexander;  Fanny, 
Captain  Tayloe,  and  Forrest,  Captain  Hoole.  Of  these  vessels 
the  Seabird  and  Curlew  were  side-wheel  river  steamboats ;  the 
Seabird  of  wood  and  the  Curlew  of  iron.  The  others  were 
screw  tug-boats,  built  for  the  canal,  and  were  similar  to  the 
Beaufort.  The  Appomattox  and  perhaps  the  Fanny  were 
wooden— the  others  of  quarter-inch  iron.  Each  mounted  one 
32-pounder  rifled  gun,  except  the  Seabird  which  had  a  smooth 
bore  forward  and  a  30-pounder  Parrott  gun  aft.  In  addition 
we  had  a  fine  large  schooner  called  the  Black  Warrior,  armed 
with  two  32-pounders  and  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Harris. 

The  expedition  under  General  Burnside  and  Flag  Officer 
Goldsborough  was  assembling  at  Hatteras  Inlet,  and  although 
we  did  not  know  positively  that  it  was  not  intended  to  attack 
Newbern  yet  the  chances  were  in  favor  of  Roanoke  island. 
About  the  1st  of  February  the  Curlew  and  Raleigh  were 
sent  to  Hatteras,  and  upon  their  return  reported  the  enemy 
nearly  ready  to  move.  The  commodore  now  held  a  council  of 
war  to  determine  whether  the  vessels  should  dispute  the  ad 
vance  of  the  enemy's  ships  at  the  "  marshes,"  or  assist  in  the 
defence  in  conjunction  with  the  forts.  It  was  decided  to  adopt 


FLAG-OFFICER  GOLDSBOROUGH'S  FLEET.     227 

the  latter  plan,  though  some  of  the  captains  favored  the  first. 
The  majority  thought  it  better  not  to  divide  our  forces  at 
the  eleventh  hour. 

It  was  at  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  February  6th,  1862, 
that  the  enemy's  fleet  made  its  appearance.  It  consisted  ac 
cording  to  the  report  of  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough,  of  the 
Stars  and  Stripes,  Louisiana,  Hetzel,  Underwriter,  Delaware, 
Commodore  Perry,  Valley  City,  Commodore  Barney,  Hunch 
back,  Southfield,  Morse,  Whitehead,  Lockwood,  Brincker,  Sey 
mour,  Ceres,  Putnam,  Shawsheen  and  Granite.  These  vessels 
were  armed  with  100-pounder  rifled,  80-pounder  rifled,  30- 
pounder  rifled,  20-pounder  rifled,  12-pounder  rifled,  and  9-inch, 
8-inch  and  6-inch  smooth  bore  guns.  Some  of  them  carried 
four  guns  each.  Their  number  of  guns,  exclusive  of  the  Com 
modore  Perry,  and  Commodore  Barney,  was  forty-eight ;  if  these 
two  vessels  carried  three  guns  each,  the  total  number  of  guns 
opposed  to  us  was  fifty-four.  The  enemy's  fleet  was  accom 
panied  by  a  large  number  of  transports  bearing  the  troops  of 
General  Burnside ;  and  it  was  evidently  his  plan  to  silence 
our  batteries — particularly  the  one  at  Pork  Point — and  land 
the  troops  under  the  protection  of  the  guns  of  the  ships. 

The  weather  at  the  time  the  enemy  made  his  appearance 
was  cold,  gloomy  and  threatening,  and  about  10  A.  M.  we  ob 
served  that  he  had  anchored  below  the  "  marshes."  We  had 
gotten  underweigh  and  formed  line  abreast,  in  the  rear  of  the 
obstructions,  and  we  remained  underweigh  all  day,  as  the 
weather  was  too  thick  to  see  very  far,  and  we  did  not  know  at 
what  moment  the  ships  might  commence  the  attack.  The 
galley  fires  were  out,  and  we  could  have  no  cooking  done,  and 
as  the  weather  was  cold  with  a  drizzling  rain  at  intervals,  we 
passed  considerably  more  than  one  mauvais  quart  d'heure  ! 

About  4  in  the  afternoon  Captain  Sims  in  the  Appomattox 
was  sent  down  to  reconnoitre.  He  went  very  close  to  the 
enemy,  but  was  not  fired  at.  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough  says 
in  his  allusion  to  it :  "  She  met  with  no  opposition  from  us 
simply  because  we  were  not  unwilling  that  she  should  accom- 


228        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

plish  her  wishes."  I  presume  he  wanted  us  to  know  what  we 
were  to  expect  the  next  day.  Sims  gave  a  very  correct  re 
port  of  the  number  of  men-of-war  in  the  fleet ;  the  number  of 
transports  was  what  "  no  fellow  could  find  out ;"  there  were  too 
many  to  count.  At  sunset,  as  we  saw  no  disposition  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy  to  move,  we  anchored  and  all  hands  went  to 
supper.  We  kept  guard  boats  out  during  the  night  to  avoid  a 
surprise.  After  getting  something  to  eat  I  went  on  board  the 
Seakird  to  see  Commodore  Lynch.  I  found  him  in  his  dress 
ing  gown  sitting  quietly  in  his  cabin  reading  Ivanhoe.  He 
expressed  great  pleasure  at  seeing  me  and  said  he  had  thought 
of  signalling  me  to  come  aboard,  but  knew  I  must  be  very 
tired  and  he  did  not  wish  to  disturb  me ;  and  I  must  say  for 
the  commodore  that  I  never  served  under  a  man  who  showed 
more  consideration  for  the  comfort  of  his  officers  and  men. 
We  talked  for  a  long  time  of  what  the  next  day  would  pro 
bably  bring  forth,  and  our  plans  for  defence,  &c.  We  neither 
of  us  believed  that  we  would  be  successful,  nor  was  there  a 
naval  officer  in  the  squadron  who  thought  we  would.  The 
force  opposed  to  us  both  naval  and  military  was  too  over 
whelming.  Ten  thousand  men  to  our  two  thousand  on  land, 
and  nineteen  vessels  and  54  guns  to  our  eight  vessels  with  9 
guns  on  the  water.  After  talking  some  time  on  the  subject, 
we  insensibly  got  upon  literature.  Lynch  was  a  cultivated 
man  and  a  most  agreeable  talker.  He  had  made  some  repu 
tation  in  the  navy  by  his  book  upon  the  Dead  Sea  exploration. 
We  commenced  on  Scott's  novels,  naturally,  as  he  held  one  of  the 
volumes  in  his  hand  ;  incident  after  incident  was  recalled  and 
laughed  over,  and  I  never  spent  a  more  delightful  evening. 
We  were  recalled  to  our  senses  by  the  ship's  bell  striking  8 
(midnight).  I  jumped  up  exclaiming  that  I  did  not  know  it 
was  so  late  and  that  I  had  not  intended  keeping  my  gig's-crew 
up  so  long.  The  commodore's  last  words  to  me  at  the  gang 
way  were :  "Ah !  if  we  could  only  hope  for  success ;"  "  but," 
said  he :  "  come  again  when  you  can."  For  my  own  part  I 
looked  upon  it  as  an  adieu  and  not  an  au  revoir;  for  I  had 


BATTLE  OF  EOANOKE  ISLAND.  229 

made  up  my  mind  that  it  would  be  death  or  a  prisoner  before 
the  next  day's  sun  had  set ;  but  as  I  rowed  back  to  my  vessel 
I  thought  what  strangely  constituted  and  happily  constituted 
beings  we  are  after  all.  Here  were  two  men  looking  forward 
to  death  in  less  than  24  hours — death,  too,  in  defeat  not  vic 
tory — and  yet  able  to  lose  themselves  in  works  of  fiction.  Well 
may  Scott  be  called  the  Wizard  of  the  North !  Unknown  to 
ourselves  it  must  be  as  Campbell  writes :  "  Hope  springs  eter 
nal  in  the  human  breast !" 

At  daylight  the  next  morning  the  Appomattox  was  dispatched 
to  Edenton,  and  as  she  did  not  return  till  sunset  and  the  War 
rior  did  not  take  any  part  in  the  action,  this  reduced  our  force 
to  seven  vessels  and  eight  guns.  At  9  A.  M.  we  observed  the 
enemy  to  be  underweigh  and  coming  up,  and  we  formed  "  line 
abreast"  in  the  rear  of  the  obstructions.  At  11.30  the  fight 
commenced  at  long  range.  The  enemy's  fire  was  aimed  at 
fort  Bartow  and  our  vessels,  and  we  soon  became  warmly  en 
gaged.  The  commodore  at  first  directed  his  vessels  to  fall 
back  in  the  hope  of  drawing  the  enemy  under  the  fire  of  forts 
Huger  and  Forrest ;  but  as  they  did  not  attempt  to  advance,  and 
evidently  had  no  intention  of  passing  the  obstructions,  we  took 
up  our  first  position  and  kept  it  during  the  day.  At  2  p.  M. 
the  firing  was  hot  and  heavy,  and  continued  so  until  sunset. 
Our  gunners  had  had  no  practice  with  their  rifled  guns,  and 
our  firing  was  not  what  it  should  have  been.  It  was  entirely 
too  rapid  and  not  particularly  accurate.  Early  in  the  fight 
the  Forrest  was  disabled  in  her  machinery,  and  her  gallant 
young  captain  (Lieutenant  Hoole)  badly  wounded  in  the  head 
by  a  piece  of  shell.  She  got  in  under  fort  Forrest  and  an 
chored.  Some  time  in  the  afternoon,  in  the  hottest  of  the  fire, 
reinforcements  arrived  from  Wise's  brigade,  and  were  landed 
on  the  island.  The  Eichmond  Blues,  Captain  O.  Jennings 
Wise,  were,  I  think,  part  of  this  force. 

Pork  Point  battery  kept  up  a  constant  fire  on  the  fleet,  and 
the  enemy  could  not  silence  it.  The  garrison  stood  to  their 
"guns  like  men,  encouraged  by  the  spirited  example  of  their 


230      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

instructor,  Lieut.  B.  P.  Loyall.  Forts  Huger  and  Forrest  did 
not  fire,  the  enemy  being  out  of  range  ;  but  the  small  battery 
between  Pork  Point  and  Weir's  Point  fired  an  occasional  gun 
during  the  day.  Towards  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  shot 
or  shell  struck  the  hurricane-deck  of  the  Curlew  in  its  descent, 
and  went  through  her  decks  and  bottom  as  though  they  had 
been  made  of  paper.  Her  captain,  finding  she  was  sinking, 
started  for  the  shore,  and  as  he  passed  me,  hailed ;  but  I  could 
not  make  out  what  he  said,  and  he  being  a  very  excitable 
fellow  (the  North  Carolinians  called  him  Tornado  Hunter)  I 
said  to  Johnson  that  I  thought  there  was  nothing  the  matter 
with  him.  "  Oh,  yes  there  is,"  said  J.,  "  look  at  his  guards." 
And  sure  enough  he  was  fast  going  down.  I  put  after  him  in 
the  Beaufort,  but  he  got  her  ashore  in  time.  Hunter  put  his 
vessel  ashore  immediately  in  front  of  fort  Forrest,  completely 
masking  its  guns,  and  we  could  not  fire  her  for  fear  of  burning 
up  the  battery,  which,  as  I  have  said,  was  built  on  an  old  canal- 
boat.  As  it  turned  out,  it  did  not  much  matter.  To  show  what 
an  excitable  fellow  Hunter  was:  he  told  me  afterward  that 
during  the  fight  this  day  he  found  to  his  surprise  that  he  had  no 
trousers  on.  He  said  he  could  never  understand  it,  as  he  had 
certainly  put  on  a  pair  in  the  morning.  I  told  him  I  had 
heard  of  a  fellow  being  frightened  out  of  his  boots,  but  never 
out  of  his  trousers.  Poor  Hunter ;  he  served  gallantly  during 
the  war,  and  was  second  in  command  at  the  battle  of  Sailors 
Creek,  where  he  was  made  a  prisoner.  He  dropped  dead  as 
he  was  taking  an  evening  walk,  a  few  years  after. 

We  in  the  Beaufort  did  our  best  in  maintaining  our  position, 
and  I  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  way  in  which  every  officer 
and  man  performed  his  duty.  Johnson  as  staunch  as  the  main 
mast,  the  two  midshipmen  full  of  zeal,  and  my  clerk,  Mr.  Bain, 
standing  by  me  on  the  hurricane  deck  coolly  taking  notes  of 
the  fight.  The  first  shell  that  exploded  over  us  scattered  the 
pieces  over  our  decks.  Midshipman  Mallory,  a  youth  of  14, 
brought  some  of  the  pieces  to  me  with  much  glee  ;  he  looked 
upon  the  whole  proceeding  as  great  fun.  Poor  boy !  he  met" 


INCIDENTS.  231 

with  a  sad  end  at  last.  After  serving  with  me  in  three  engage 
ments  he  was  ordered  to  the  gunboat  Chattahoochee  at  Colum 
bus,  Ga.,  and  lost  his  life  by  the  explosion  of  her  boiler.  He 
was  from  Hampton  and  was  an  honor  to  his  birth-place ;  had 
he  lived  and  had  the  opportunity  he  would  have  become  a 
great  naval  officer.  My  men  worked  their  gun  coolly  and 
deliberately,  and  as  the  captain  of  it,  Jack  Robinson,  was  an 
English  man-of-wars  man,  trained  on  the  gunnery  ship  Excel 
lent,  I  think  we  did  some  good  firing.  My  gunner's  mate, 
John  Downard,  was  also  from  the  same  ship  and  knew  his 
duties  thoroughly.  Both  of  these  men  had  the  Crimean  medal. 
I  must  not  forget  to  mention  my  engineer,  Mr.  Hanks,  who 
was  always  ready  with  his  engine. 

About  4  p.  M.  I  observed  that  the  enemy's  troops  were  land 
ing  to  the  southward  of  Pork  Point  under  the  guns  of  a  division 
of  their  fleet,  and  could  not  perceive  that  any  successful  re 
sistance  was  being  made  to  it.  A  little  after  sunset  the  firing 
ceased  on  both  sides,  and  as  we  felt  sure  the  enemy  would  not 
attempt  to  pass  the  obstructions  by  night  as  he  had  declined 
to  attempt  them  by  day  we  ran  in  and  anchored  under  fort 
Forrest.  We  lit  our  galley  fires,  and  as  we  had  been  fighting 
all  day  were  glad  enough  to  get  something  to  eat.  Upon  the 
whole  I  was  rather  surprised  to  find  myself  alive,  and  con 
gratulated  myself  upon  having  one  night  more  before  me.  I 
directed  my  steward  to  serve  out  the  cabin  stores  to  the  men 
and  let  them  have  a  good  supper — that  was  about  what  I 
thought  of  what  would  be  the  result  of  the  next  day's  fight. 

During  the  afternoon  when  the  battle  was  at  its  height  I 
ordered  the  engineer  to  send  me  all  the  men  he  could  spare 
from  the  fire-room  to  work  at  the  gun  ;  one  of  the  men  sent  up 
was  my  green  coal-passer,  who  evidently  did  not  like  the  appear 
ance  of  things  on  deck.  However  he  went  to  the  side  tackles 
of  the  gun  as  ordered ;  after  awhile  a  shell  bursting  overhead 
I  called  to  the  men  to  lie  down,  and  when  it  was  over  I  ordered 
them  to  jump  up  and  go  at  it  again.  All  promptly  obeyed 
but  the  coal-passer,  who  still  lay  flat  on  his  stomach.  "  Get 


232       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

up,"  I  called  to  him  from  the  hurricane  deck  just  above  him : 
he  turned  his  head  like  a  turtle  and  fixed  his  eye  on  me,  but 
otherwise  did  not  move.  "  Get  up,"  I  said,  "  or  I  will  kill 
you,"  at  the  same  time  drawing  a  pistol  from  my  belt  and  cock 
ing  it.  He  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  sprang  to  the  gun, 
and  behaved  well  during  the  rest  of  the  engagement.  As  I 
went  aft  to  my  cabin  after  the  battle,  my  steward  being  busy 
forward,  I  called  to  the  engineer  to  send  a  man  to  make  a  fire 
in  my  stove.  I  had  just  seated  myself  before  it  when  who 
should  come  in  but  my  friend  the  coal-passer — he  kneeled  down 
in  front  of  me  and  commenced  blowing  up  a  fire.  Knowing 
that  the  man  had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  the  discipline  of  a 
man-of-war,  and  wishing  to  encourage  him,  I  remarked, 
"  Well,  my  man !  I  am  glad  you  did  your  duty  so  well  at  the 
gun  after  I  spoke  to  you."  He  blew  awhile,  and  then  looking 
back  he  said :  "  I  tell  you  what,  captain,  I  was  mighty  skeered ;" 
"  but,"  said  he  after  another  blow,  "  I  saw  you  were  going  to 
kill  me  so  I  thought  I  mout  as  well  take  my  chances  with  the 
enemy."  After  a  few  minutes  more  blowing,  he  said  :  "  I  warn't 
much  skeered  after  that ;  it's  all  in  getting  used  to  it,  Cap." 
Well,  I  thought,  you  have  got  at  the  philosophy  of  it,  after  all, 

I  do  not  remember  our  loss  in  the  squadron  in  this  day's  en 
gagement  ;  but  Lieutenant  Hoole  was  dangerously  wounded, 
and  lost  an  eye,  and  Midshipman  Camm  of  the  Ellis  lost  an 
arm. 

Soon  after  we  anchored  signal  was  made  by  the  flag  ship 
for  the  captains  to  report  on  board.  Upon  my  entering  the 
cabin  I  was  informed  by  Commodore  Lynch  that  we  must  re 
treat  from  Roanoke  Island.  Much  surprised  and  mortified,  I 
asked  why,  and  was  told  that  the  vessels  generally  were  out  of 
ammunition.  A  council  was  held  as  to  whether  the  vessels 
should  retreat  to  Norfolk  through  the  Chesapeake  and  Albe- 
marle  Canal,  or  go  to  Elizabeth  City  on  the  Pasquotank  river. 
We  would  have  saved  the  vessels  by  going  to  the  former  place, 
but  the  commodore's  orders  were  to  do  his  utmost  to  defend  the 
waters  of  North  Carolina ;  so  we  decided  to  go  to  the  latter, 


EETREA T  OF  THE  SQ UADRON.  233 

where  it  was  understood  a  fort  had  been  built  to  protect  the 
town.  Elizabeth  City  was  the  terminus  of  the  Dismal  Swamp 
Canal,  and  we  hoped  to  get  ammunition  that  way  from  Nor 
folk  in  time  to  act  in  conjunction  with  the  fort.  I  was  sent  to 
Roanoke  Island  to  communicate  all  this  to  Colonel  Shaw,  and 
confess  did  not  relish  my  mission.  It  looked  too  much  like 
leaving  the  army  in  the  lurch ;  and  yet  to  have  remained  with 
out  ammunition  would  have  been  mere  folly.  I  took  an  officer 
on  shore  with  me  who  had  gotten  on  board  the  Seabird  some 
how—  probably  he  had  come  in  the  Appomattox  from  Edenton 
— he  had  just  been  released  from  a  northern  prison,  and  here 
he  was  going  to  meet  the  same  fate  again,  as  we  all  knew — but 
he  did  what  he  considered  his  duty.  I  think  he  was  a  Major 
Dinwiddie, — a  noble  fellow,  whatever  his  name. 

I  met  Colonel  Shaw  at  his  quarters,  and  stated  the  facts  in 
relation  to  the  vessels,  and  then  returned  to  the  Beaufort.  All 
lights  were  now  extinguished,  and  the  squadron  got  uuder- 
weigh  for  Elizabeth  City,  the  Seabird  taking  the  Forrest  in 
tow.  It  was  one  of  the  darkest  nights  I  ever  knew,  and  as 
none  of  the  vessels  showed  a  light  it  was  difficult  to  avoid  a 
collision.  My  pilot  got  confused  early  in  the  evening  and  I 
had  to  do  the  best  I  could  alone ;  and,  considering  I  had  but 
a  faint  idea  of  where  Elizabeth  City  was,  I  did  remarkably 
well.  We  fell  in  with  some  vessels  carrying  reinforcements  to 
the  island  on  our  way — I  think  it  was  Green's  battalion — and 
the  Beaufort  had  the  credit  of  colliding  with  them.  This  was 
not  true,  however, — for  while  I  was  speaking  one  of  the  schoon 
ers,  another  of  our  gunboats  carried  away  her  head  booms. 

I  anchored  in  the  mouth  of  the  Pasquotank  river  some  time 
during  the  night,  and  the  next  morning  went  to  Elizabeth 
City,  where  I  found  the  remainder  of  the  squadron.  This  was 
on  Saturday,  February  8th. 


234        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  DEFENCES  OF  ELIZABETH  CITY — HENNINGSEN'S  ARTILLEEY — EECON- 
NOISSANCE  BY  COMMODORE  LYNCH— HE  IS  CHASED  BACK  TO  THE  PAS- 
QUOTANK — I  AM  PLACED  IN  COMMAND  OF  FOET  COBB — THE  BATTLE  OF 
ELIZABETH  CITY— INCIDENTS— THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  CONFEDERATE 
SQUADRON  —  COMMODORE  LYNCH — RETREAT  FROM  ELIZABETH  CITY — 
CROSS  THE  DISMAL  SWAMP — INCIDENTS  ALONG  THE  EOUTE— HENNING- 
SEN'S  MEN — MARCH  TO  SUFFOLK — AREIVAL  AT  NORFOLK — FIND  THE 
'•  BEAUFORT"  THERE— JOIN  GENERAL  WISE  AT  GREAT  BRIDGE— RETURN 
TO  NORFOLK  AND  REPORT  TO  COMMODORE  BUCHANAN — HIS  SQUADRON. 

ELIZABETH  CITY  is  on  the  Pasquotank  river,  twelve  miles 
from  its  mouth.  The  river  here  is  very  narrow  and  on  the 
right  bank,  at  Cobb's  Point,  some  two  or  three  miles  below, 
was  a  battery  of  four  32-pounder  smooth-bore  guns.  The 
fort,  as  it  was  called,  was  a  wretchedly  constructed  affair  and 
not  by  any  means  a  credit  to  the  engineer  officer  who  built  it. 
I  afterwards  met  this  officer.  He  acknowledged  that  it  was 
badly  done ;  he  said  that  when  the  citizens  of  Elizabeth  City 
applied  to  General  Huger  to  have  a  battery  put  up  to  protect 
the  town,  he  was  sent  to  do  it.  He  thought  that  "  Elizabeth 
City  was  the  last  place  the  Federals  would  attack,"  and  slighted 
his  work.  It  shows  how  uncertain  war  is,  and  how  important 
discipline  is. 

The  magazine  of  this  fort  resembled  an  African  ant-hill 
more  than  anything  else,  and  had  its  door  fronting  the  river, 
and  was  of  course  entirely  exposed.  The  guns  were  good 
enough,  but  they  were  badly  mounted — only  one  could  be 
trained  to  fire  across  the  river,  the  others  looked  down  the 
channel.  We  found  at  Elizabeth  City  General  Henningsen 
with  one  or  more  batteries  of  light  artillery,  and  after  our 
arrival  the  militia  were  called  out,  and  some  of  them  were 


THE  DEFENCES  OF  ELIZABETH  CITY.         235 

sent  into  the  fort.  We  learned  that  the  Dismal  Swamp  canal 
was  out  of  order,  and  vessels  could  not  pass  through.  Commo 
dore  Lynch  sent  Captain  Hunter  by  express  to  Norfolk  for 
ammunition,  and  men  to  repair  the  canal. 

We  could  hear  firing  in  the  direction  of  Koanoke 
island  until  about  noon  of  this  day ;  it  then  ceased  and  we 
knew  the  island  had  fallen.  We  felt  sure  Elizabeth  City 
would  be  the  next  place  attacked,  and  the  commodore  ap 
pointed  me  to  concert  a  plan  of  defence  with  General  Hen- 
ningsen. 

My  idea  was  to  land  the  guns  of  the  vessels  and  mount 
them  on  shore,  not  together,  but  distributed  on  both  sides  of 
the  river,  and  to  place  Henningsen's  guns  in  pits  or  behind 
temporary  embankments  in  the  same  way.  By  this  method 
the  enemy,  after  getting  up  with  the  fort,  would  have  been 
brought  under  a  very  heavy  cross  fire,  and  his  vessels  being  of 
light  construction  Henningsen's  guns  would  have  done  them 
as  much  damage  as  our  large  cannon.  The  infantry  were  to 
seek  the  best  cover  they  could  find  and  act  as  sharpshooters 
along  the  bank  of  the  river,  which  was  not  two  hundred  yards 
wide.  But  there  not  appearing  to  be  time  enough  to  make 
this  disposition  of  our  guns,  it  was  decided  that  the  schooner 
Black  Warrior  should  be  put  over  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river 
a  little  below  the  fort,  and  the  remainder  of  the  squadron  which 
now  consisted  of  the  Seabird,  Ellis,  Appomattox,  Beaufort, 
Raleigh  and  Fanny,  should  form  line  abreast  across  the  chan 
nel,  opposite  the  fort,  and  that  Henningsen's  artillery  should 
be  held  in  reserve.  After  making  these  dispositions  Commo 
dore  Lynch  started  in  the  Seabird  on  the  9th  for  Roanoke 
island  to  reconnoitre,  and  took  the  Raleigh  with  him.  During 
the  afternoon  of  this  day  the  Beaufort  towed  to  the  mouth  of  the 
canal  a,  schooner  loaded  with  quartermaster's  stores ;  she  eventu 
ally  got  to  Norfolk  with  her  very  valuable  cargo.  About  sunset 
Commodore  Lynch  returned  in  the  Seabird  having  been  chased 
by  the  enemy's  vessels,  which  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
about  ten  miles  below  the  fort  at  8  p.  M.  The  Ealeigh  was 


236        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

either  sent  to  Norfolk  via  the  C.  and  A.  canal,  or  she  escaped 
in  that  direction  while  being  chased. 

The  enemy's  squadron  consisted  of  fourteen  vessels,  mount 
ing  33  guns  ;  to  oppose  which  we  had  six  vessels,  mounting  8 
guns,  and  the  guns  of  the  fort.  The  Curlew  had  been  left  at 
Roanoke  Island,  where  she  was  burned  by  her  crew.  The 
Forrest  was  hauled  up  on  the  ways  at  Elizabeth  City,  and  the 
Raleigh  was  probably  in  Norfolk.  Commodore  Stephen  C. 
Rowan  was  in  command  of  the  Federal  vessels,  and  we  knew 
him  to  be  a  dashing  officer. 

We  anchored  abreast  the  fort  in  our  position,  and  spent  most 
of  the  night  in  dividing  the  ammunition,  so  that  each  vessel 
should  have  an  equal  share.  I  passed  the  evening  talking 
over  matters  with  the  commodore,  and  we  both  concluded  that 
affairs  looked  blue.  The  canal  being  out  of  order,  escape  was 
impossible  in  that  direction,  and  nothing  remained  but  to  fight 
it  out.  I  wrent  back  to  the  Beaufort  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  sent  for  Johnson  to  give  him  directions  for  the 
next  morning.  After  telling  him  to  give  the  men  breakfast 
before  daylight  and  then  to  have  everything  ready  for  action, 
and  to  call  me  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  enemy  getting  under- 
weigh,  I  went  to  my  cabin  and  threw  myself  on  my  berth  "  all 
standing."  I  really  believe  I  did  not  take  off  my  sword  and 
pistol ;  and  I  know  I  did  not  remove  my  cap.  I  never  was  so 
tired  in  my  life.  For  more  than  a  week  I  had  not  had  my 
clothes  off,  had  had  but  little  sleep,  and  been  in  a  constant 
state  of  excitement.  I  soon  dropped  off,  and  in  less  than  a 
minute  (as  it  seemed  to  me)  Johnson  called  me  to  say  the  enemy 
was  underweigh  and  coming  up. 

"  Have  the  men  had  their  breakfast?"  said  I.  "  Yes,  sir," 
said  Johnson.-  "  Is  the  gun  cleared  away  and  ready  for  ac 
tion  ?  "  "  Yes,  sir,"  he  replied,  "  the  men  are  at  their  quarters, 
the  fires  are  out,  the  magazine  is  opened,  and  we  are  all  ready 
for  battle."  "  Very  well,"  I  answered ;  and  Johnson  went  for 
ward.  I  fell  back  on  my  pillow  and  commenced  to  moralize : 
how  delightful,  thought  I,  'twould  be  to  be  on  shore  in  the 


PLACED  IN  COMMAND  OF  FORT  COBB.        237 

woods   where   I   can   hear   the   birds   welcoming   the   rising 

sun: 

"  The  breezy  call  of  incense-breathing  morn, 

The  swallow  twittering  from  the  straw-built  shed," 

and  all  that  sort  of  thing  ;  here  are  these  confounded  fellows 
coming  up  to  break  the  peace  when  I  so  particularly  wish  to 
remain  quiet ;  why  will  men  fight,  and  before  breakfast,  too ; 

why  not  lead  a  life  of  peace  ?  why  not .     "  Look  here, 

Captain,"  said  Johnson,  "  the  enemy  is  right  on  top  of  us  I" 
I  sprang  up  and  bade  adieu  to  my  moralizing.  Upon  reach 
ing  the  hurricane-deck  I  think  I  saw  the  relieved  expression 
of  my  men.  I  had  not  thought  of  it  before,  but  my  non-ap 
pearance  had  given  rise  to  some  anxiety. 

The  enemy  were  coming  up  at  full  speed  and  our  vessels 
were  underweigh  ready  to  abide  the  shock  when  a  boat  came 
off  from  the  shore  with  the  bearer  of  a  dispatch  for  me  ;  it  read : 
"  Captain  Parker  with  the  crew  of  the  Beaufort  will  at  once 
take  charge  of  the  fort — Lynch."  "  Where  the  devil,"  I  asked, 
"  are  the  men  who  were  in  the  fort  ?"  "All  run  away,"  said  the 
messenger.  And  so  it  was  ;  they  had  recollected  that : 

"Souvent  celui  qui  demeure, 
Est  cause  de  son  meschef,  &c." 

and  had  taken  to  their  heels.  The  enemy's  vessels  were  by 
this  time  nearly  in  range,  and  we  were  ready  to  open  fire.  I 
did  not  fancy  this  taking  charge  at  the  last  moment,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it,  so  I  put  the  men  in  the  boats  with  their 
arms  and  left  the  Beaufort  with  the  pilot,  engineer  and  two 
men  on  board.  I  directed  the  pilot  to  slip  the  chain  and 
escape  through  the  canal  to  Norfolk  if  possible,  otherwise  to 
blow  the  steamer  up  rather  than  be  captured.  He  "  cut  out," 
as  Davy  Crockett  says,  accordingly.  While  pulling  ashore  the 
officers  and  men  were  engaged  in  tearing  some  sheets  into 
bandages  to  be  used  for  the  wounded  men :  a  cheerful  occupa 
tion  under  the  circumstances !  but  it  was  one  of  the  delights 
of  serving  in  these  gunboats  that  no  surgeons  were  allowed. 


238        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

All  the  wounded  had  to  be  sent  to  the  flag  ship  for  treatment. 
Upon  getting  into  the  fort  I  hastily  commenced  stationing 
the  men  at  the  guns,  and  as  quickly  as  possible  opened  fire 
upon  the  advancing  enemy.  Some  of  the  officers  and  men  of 
the  Forrest  made  their  way  to  us  upon  learning  that  the  militia 
had  fled.  I  must  not  forget  to  say  that  the  engineer 
officer  who  had  been  sent  from  Richmond  for  service  in  the 
fort  remained  bravely  at  his  post.  He  asked  me  to  report  this 
fact  in  case  he  was  killed.  He  was  a  Prussian,  and  I  think 
his  name  was  Heinrich.  He  was  not  the  engineer  who  built 
the  fort.  I  found  Commodore  Lynch  on  shore  ;  his  boat  had 
been  cut  in  two  by  a  shot  and  he  could  not  get  off  to  his  ship, 
as  he  informed  me,  and  he  furthermore  said  I  was  to  command 
the  fort  without  reference  to  his  being  there ;  that  if  he  saw 
an  opportunity  to  get  off  to  the  Seabird  he  should  embrace  it. 
The  enemy's  vessels  came  on  at  full  speed  under  a  heavy 
fire  from  our  vessels  and  the  fort.  The  fire  from  the  latter 
was  ineffectual.  The  officers  and  men  were  cool  enough  ;  but 
they  had  not  had  time  to  look  about  them.  Everything  was 
in  bad  working  order,  and  it  was  difficult  to  train  the  guns. 
Just  before  we  commenced  to  fire  two  of  my  men  brought  a 
man  to  me  and  said  in  the  most  indignant  manner :  "  Captain 
here's  a  man  who  says  he  don't  want  to  fight  I"  The  idea  of 
one  of  the  Beaufort's  not  wanting  to  fight  seemed  to  irritate 
them  exceedingly.  I  looked  and  beheld  my  poor  cook  tremb 
ling  before  me.  The  men  held  him  up  by  the  collar,  for  his 
legs  refused  to  do  duty.  He  was  a  delicate-looking  Spaniard 
and,  poor  fellow,  could  speak  very  little  English.  He  had 
been  captured  in  a  prize  and  had  shipped  in  the  Beaufort  for 
the  want  of  something  better  to  do.  He  knew  nothing  about 
the  war  and  cared  less.  In  the  fight  at  Roanoke  he  had  been 
stationed  in  the  magazine,  and  as  it  was  pitch  dark  there  had 
fondly  imagined  himself  in  a  safe  place ;  but  it  was  different 
here  in  the  broad  daylight.  "  Que  diable  allait-il  faire  dans 
cette  galere  /"  Falling  on  his  knees  before  me,  he  could  only 
say  :  "  captain,  me  no  wantee  fight,"  which  he  kept  repeating. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  CONFEDERATE  SQUADRON.  239 

Poor  fellow,  I  thought,  I  don't  wantee  fight  either — at  least,  not 
until  after  breakfast.  "  Put  him  in  the  magazine,"  said  I,  re 
calling  his  former  station,  and  thought  no  more  about  him. 
But  he  was  to  be  my  bete  noir  that  day,  for  in  the  heat  of  the 
battle  two  of  Henningsen's  horsemen  brought  him  to  me  be 
tween  them.  He  had  fled  from  the  magazine,  and  they  had 
captured  him.  He  was  in  an  exceedingly  limp  condition ;  but 
I  said,  as  before,  "  put  him  in  the  magazine,"  which  was  done. 
He  got  away  again,  however,  and  beat  us  all  to  Norfolk — and 
that's  saying  a  good  deal. 

Commodore  Rowan's  steamers  did  not  reply  to  our  fire  until 
quite  close,  and  without  slackening  their  speed  they  passed  the 
fort  and  fell  upon  our  vessels.  They  made  short  work  of 
them !  The  Seabird  was  rammed  and  sunk  by  the  Commodore 
Perry.  The  Ellis  was  captured  after  a  desperate  defence,  in 
which  her  gallant  commander,  James  Cook,  was  badly  .wound 
ed.  The  schooner  Black  Warrior  was  set  on  fire  and  aban 
doned,  her  crew  escaping  through  the  marshes  on  their  side  of 
the  river.  The  Fanny  was  run  on  shore  near  the  fort  and  blown 
up  by  her  commander,  who  with  his  crew  escaped  to  the  shore. 
Before  the  Ellis  was  captured  some  of  her  officers  and  men 
attempted  to  reach  the  shore — among  them,  Midshipman  AVm. 
C.  Jackson,  a  handsome  youth  of  17 — he  was  to  have  joined 
my  ship  the  next  day.  He  was  shot  in  the  water  while  swim 
ming  on  shore.  I  do  not  blame  the  enemy  for  this — it  was 
unavoidable — but  it  was  a  melancholy  affair.  He  was  taken 
on  board  the  U.  S.  steamer  Hetzel  and  received  every  atten 
tion.  He  died  at  10  P.  M.  the  same  day,  and  was  buried  on  shore. 
Captain  Sims,  of  the  Appomattox  kept  up  a  sharp  fire  from 
his  bow  gun  until  it  was  accidentally  spiked  ;  and  he  then  had 
to  run  for  it.  He  had  a  howitzer  aft  which  he  kept  in  play ; 
but  upon  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  canal  he  found  his  ves 
sel  was  about  two  inches  too  wide  to  enter ;  he  therefore  set  her 
on  fire,  and  she  blew  up.  The  Beaufort  got  through  to  Nor 
folk. 

We  in  the  fort  saw  this  work  of  destruction  going  on  with- 


240       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

out  being  able  to  prevent  it.  As  soon  as  the  vessels  passed 
the  fort  we  could  not  bring  a  gun  to  bear  on  them,  and  a  shot 
from  them  would  have  taken  us  in  reverse.  A  few  rounds  of 
grape  would  have  killed  and  wounded  all  the  men  in  the  fort, 
for  the  distance  was  only  a  few  hundred  yards.  Seeing  this,  I 
directed  Johnson  to  spike  the  guns,  to  order  every  man  to 
shoulder  his  musket,  and  then  to  take  down  the  flag.  All  this 
was  promptly  and  coolly  done,  and  upon  the  fact  being  reported 
to  me  by  Johnson,  I  pointed  to  some  woods  in  our  rear  and  told 
him  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  there  with  the  command.  All 
this  time  Commodore  Lynch  had  stood  quietly  looking  on,  but 
without  uttering  a  word.  As  his  command  had  just  been  de 
stroyed  under  his  eyes,  I  knew  pretty  well  what  his  feelings 
were.  Turning  to  him  I  said  :  "  Commodore,  I  have  ordered 
the  fort  evacuated."  "Why  so,  sir?"  he  demanded.  I  pointed 
out  the  condition  of  affairs  I  have  just  stated,  and  he  acqui 
esced.  Arm  in  arm  we  followed  the  retreating  men.  The 
enemy  had  by  this  time  turned  their  attention  from  the  ships 
to  the  fort  and  commenced  firing  shot  and  shell  in  our  direc 
tion.  We  had  to  cross  a  ploughed  field,  and  we  made  slow 
progress.  I  wished  very  much  that  the  commodore  was 
twenty  years  younger.  I  felt  that  instead  of  a  slow  walk,  a 
sharp  run  would  have  been  better  exercise — more  bracing,  as  it 
were.  We  had  nearly  reached  the  woods  when  I  met  my  two 
men,  Kobinson  and  Downard,  posting  back  in  great  haste. 
They  took  their  hats  off  when  they  saw  me  and  looked  a  little 
sheepish.  "  Were  you  not  ordered  into  the  woods  ?  "  I  in 
quired.  "  Yes,  sir,"  answered  they.  "  Then  where  are  you 
going?"  I  demanded.  "  Come  back  to  look  for  you,  sir,"  said 
Kobinson.  They  had  missed  me  in  the  woods,  and  fearing  I 
had  been  killed  or  wounded  were  going  back  to  carry  me  off! 
And  here  wras  my  first  lieutenant,  Johnson,  aiding  and  abetting 
them !  As  soon  as  we  struck  the  road  we  procured  a  guide, 
and  as  we  had  to  pass  Elizabeth  City  which  was  now  in  pos 
session  of  the  enemy,  we  hurried  up  for  fear  of  being  taken 
prisoners.  We  had  observed  that  some  of  the  vessels  carried 


COMMODORE  L  YNCff.  241 

troops — in  fact  there  was  a  Rhode  Island  regiment  present — 
and  we  expected  they  would  land  and  intercept  us.  The  offi 
cers  and  men  of  the  Fanny  and  Forrest,  and  stragglers  from 
the  other  vessels,  reported  to  me  and  I  found  I  was,  next  to 
the  commodore,  the  senior  officer  on  shore.  I  soon  got  the 
commodore  off  in  a  buggy,  and  I  begged  him  to  make  the  best 
of  his  way  to  Richmond.  It  \vas  the  most  extraordinary- 
looking  vehicle  I  ever  laid  my  eyes  on,  and  I  felt  sure  it  wTould 
cause  a  sensation  in  Richmond  if  the  commodore's  report  did 
not. 

I  had  been  told  by  Commodore  Lynch  that  if  I  evacuated 
the  fort  I  was  to  fall  back  on  Henningsen.  I  fell  back  as  fast 
as  I  could,  but  did  not  see  anything  of  his  command.  After 
we  had  gotten  by  Elizabeth  City  we  felt  pretty  safe  against 
capture,  particularly  as  by  twelve  o'clock  I  had  my  entire 
command  mounted  or  in  country  wagons,  and  I  got  them  in 
something  like  military  organization,  with  commissary,  quar 
termaster,  etc. 

The  scenes  along  the  road  were  distressing,  and  yet  some 
times  so  comical  that  one  found  himself  laughing  with  the 
"  tear  in  his  eye."  We  passed  at  one  place  the  smoking  ruins 
of  a  house.  The  neighbors  told  me  it  had  been  occupied  by 
a  Union  man  wrho  upon  learning  of  the  success  of  the  Federals 
at  Elizabeth  City  had  refused  even  water  to  the  retreating 
troops  of  Henningsen.  Locking  up  his  house  he  took  up  a 
position  in  the  upper  story,  and  finally  ended  by  firing  on  the 
soldiers  who  were  about  the  house  and  killed  one  of  them. 
The  soldiers  burned  the  house  with  the  man  in  it.  Passing 
another  place  I  saw  a  young  girl  in  convulsions  and  screaming 
at  the  top  of  her  lungs.  Her  parents  were  trying  to  pacify 
her  in  vain.  I  added  my  persuasions,  I  told  her  everything 
would  be  all  right,  the  war  would  soon  be  over,  etc.  "  Oh ! 
what  does  it  matter,"  said  she,  "  if  the  war  is  soon  over,  if  all 
the  men  are  killed  ?  "  I  "  passed," 

The  kindness  and  hospitality  of  the  people  along  the  route 
was  unbounded.     Just  before  sunset  my  quarter-master,  who 
11 


242        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

had  been  riding  in  advance,  reported  that  a  gentleman  living 
near  by  had  offered  to  give  us  all  supper  and  a  night's  lodg 
ing.  I  gladly  accepted  his  offer.  At  this  time  I  overtook 
General  Henningsen  and  his  staff — I  never  did  catch  up  with 
his  guns.  The  general  was  opposed  to  my  remaining  on  that 
side  of  the  river  for  the  night,  and  said  we  would  be  captured. 
I  told  him  the  offer  was  too  good  to  be  declined,  and  added 
(for  the  recollection  of  his  troopers  bringing  back  my  unfortu 
nate  cook  to  the  fort,  and  their  remarks,  had  left  a  sore  spot)  : 
"  General,  I  was  told  to  fall  back  on  you  and  have  been  doing 
so  all  day  ;  now  I  intend  to  stop."  I  wish  I  could  recall  the 
name  of  the  gentleman  who  entertained  us.  I  had  about  150 
officers  and  men,  and  to  supply  us  all  was  no  light  tax — to  say 
nothing  of  the  animals.  The  men  were  given  a  good  supper 
and  quarters  in  the  barn,  and  the  officers  received  in  his  house. 
There  were  many  ladies  there — refugees  from  Elizabeth  City. 
They  forgot  their  own  troubles  and  insisted  on  waiting  upon 
us  at  table.  It  was  only  one  of  the  many  instances  of  the 
noble  and  inspiriting  conduct  of  the  Southern  women.  They 
never  gave  up.  In  the  darkest  hour  of  the  war  they  had  an 
encouraging  word.  As  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  God  knows 
what  they  would  have  done  without  their  kind  nurses.  Scott 
has  rendered  woman  a  tribute;  but  the  wars  of  the  world 
have  never  produced  the  equal  of  the  Southern  woman. 

We  left  our  kind  friends  at  3  o'clock  next  morning,  and  I 
sent  our  quarter-master  on  ahead  to  order  breakfast  at  a  tavern 
where  I  knew  we  should  arrive  about  8  o'clock.  I  was  told 
that  it  would  take  us  two  days  to  reach  Suffolk  as  the  road 
across  the  Dismal  Swamp  would  not  permit  of  rapid  traveling ; 
but  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would  be  there  that  night  if  it  were 
possible.  The  Merrimac,  I  knew,  would  be  soon  ready  for  her 
crew,  and  it  was  most  important  to  get  the  men  with  me  to  Nor 
folk  as  quickly  as  possible.  There  were  no  sailors  to  spare  at 
the  South.  We  arrived  at  the  tavern  and  breakfasted — the  la 
dies  there  (refugees)  attending  to  our  wants  at  table,  and  every 
body  doing  all  in  their  power  to  assist  us  in  getting  on.  The 


MARCH  TO  SUFFOLK.  243 

proprietor  would  take  no  pay,  so  we  could  only  offer  our 
thanks,  and  after  giving  three  cheers  we  started.  About  12 
we  came  to  a  cross-road  country  store  and  were  told  that  Com 
modore  Lynch  had  passed  and  ordered  dinner  for  the  men  ; 
but  as  they  had  so  lately  breakfasted  I  would  not  stop.  I 
rode  in  the  rear  of  the  command  and  kept  the  horses  moving. 
About  3  in  the  afternoon  I  was  hailed  from  a  house  and  found 
there  Commodore  Lynch.  The  hospitable  owner  would  not 
hear  of  our  continuing  on  our  way  without  stopping  for  some 
refreshment,  so  I  consented  to  remain ;  and  in  a  short  time  he 
and  his  wife  and  daughters,  with  their  servants,  were  busily 
engaged  preparing  it.  The  commodore  started  off  alone  in  his 
gig  for  Suffolk.  We  remained  an  hour  and  then  left,  ancjp, 
traveling  at  good  speed  arrived  at  Suffolk  at  9  P.  M.  We  had 
made  nearly  forty  miles  since  leaving  the  fort  the  day  before, 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  was  not  bad  traveling.  The 
first  news  I  got  was  that  the. commodore  had  not  arrived.  He 
told  me  afterward  he  took  the  wrong  road  and  did  not  get  to 
Suffolk  until  the  next  day.  We  were  most  kindly  received  at 
Suffolk,  and  learning  that  a  special  train  was  about  returning 
to  Norfolk  I  put  my  command  on  board  and  sent  the  horses 
and  wagons  back  to  their  owners.  We  got  safely  to  Norfolk, 
and  at  midnight  I  awakened  Commodore  Forrest  at  the  Navy 
Yard  and  reported  the  disastrous  result  of  the  battle  of  Eli 
zabeth  City.  I  learned  to  my  great  gratification  that  the 
Beaufort  was  safely  alongside  the  wharf  at  the  Yard.  Upon 
Captain  Hunter's  arrival  a  force  had  been  put  to  work  on  the 
canal,  and  the  Beaufort  had  succeeded  in  getting  through. 

After  the  fall  of  Roanoke  island  General  Wise  had  retreated 
from  Nag's  Head  in  the  direction  of  Norfolk  on  the  line  of  the 
Chesapeake  and  Albemarle  canal,  and  I  was  sent  up  the  canal 
in  the  Beaufort  to  co-operate  with  him.  We  went  up  about 
the  12th  of  February,  and  after  making  a  reconnoissance  as 
far  as  North  river  I  returned  to  Great  Bridge  where  I  met  the 
General  and  his  men.  We  had  very  cold,  disagreeable  weather, 
and  Wise's  men  as  they  arrived  looked  in  bad  condition.  The 


244        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

General's  son,  Captain  O.  Jennings  Wise,  was  killed  at  Roanoke 
island,  and  he  himself  seemed  in  poor  health  and  worse  spirits. 
In  fact  the  result  of  the  past  week's  fighting  had  dispirited  us 
all,  and  the  cold,  sleeting  weather  did  not  tend  to  cheer  us  up. 
Wise  had  in  his  brigade  all  the  Nicaragua  filibusters  I  had  ever 
heard  of.  I  do  not  know  how  they  happened  to  congregate  in 
his  brigade,  but  they  did.  The  most  noted  of  these  men  and 
the  one  who  particularly  interested  me  was  Henningsen.  He 
had  been  Walker's  right  hand  man  and  military  adviser  in  all 
his  operations  in  Central  America.  He  was  a  tall,  gaunt  man 
with  sandy  hair  and  florid  complexion — of  Scandinavian 
origin,  he  looked  the  picture  of  an  ancient  Viking.  He  wore  a 
slouched  hat  and  a  monkey  jacket  and  walked  with  a  staff. 
Commencing  life  as  an  officer  in  the  British  army  he  had  served 
in  the  Don  Carlos  war  in  Spain,  and  after  serving  in  various 
armies  of  Europe  and  in  Nicaragua  had  finally  turned  up  in 
the  confederacy.  He  was  the  most  perfect  Major  Dalgetty  I 
ever  met,  and  he  frequently  came  on  board  the  Beaufort  to 
see  me.  At  this  time  he  was  a  colonel  in  the  Confederate 
army ;  but  for  some  reason  he  was  _not  employed  after  the 
operations  I  am  describing. 

As  I  have  before  said,  Wise's  brigade  was  scattered  between 
Elizabeth  City  and  Nag's  Head  at  the  time  Roanoke  island 
was  attacked.  Why  it  was  not  concentrated  on  the  island  I 
have  never  learned.  A  portion  of  it  was  in  the  battle  and  a 
battalion  belonging  to  it  was  on  its  way  there.  One  regiment 
was  at  Nag's  Head  and  Henningsen  with  his  artillery  was  at 
Elizabeth  City.  There  may  have  been  good  reasons  for  this, 
want  of  transportation  or  something,  but  I  have  failed  to  dis 
cover  them.  I  know  now  that  if  our  force  had  been  assembled 
at  the  "  marshes  "  and  proper  fortifications  put  there  we  could 
have  kept  the  Burnside  expedition  at  bay.  And  even  as  it 
was,  if  there  had  been  more  men  on  the  island  and  they  had 
stood  to  their  guns  the  troops-  of  Burnside  could  not  have 
landed.  The  vessels  not  only  did  not  pass  the  island,  but  did 
not  attempt  to  do  so  until  the  forts  had  been  turned  and  cap- 


REPORT  TO  COMMODORE  BUCHANAN.         245 

tured  by  the  army.  Pork  Point  battery  which  stood  the  brunt 
of  the  bombardment  on  the  7th  was  hardly  damaged.  Cap 
tain  Loyall  has  since  told  me  that  by  the  aid  of  some  thirty 
negroes  they  had  there  on  the  night  of  the  7th,  the  fort  was  in 
as  good  condition  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  as  it  was  the  morn 
ing  before.  Only  another  instance  of  the  impossibility  of 
demolishing  an  earthwork  by  a  distant  and  non-continuous 
bombardment. 

I  returned  to  Norfolk  about  the  20th  of  February  for  repairs. 
My  executive  officer  was  here  detached  and  ordered  to  New 
Orleans,  otherwise  there  was  no  change  in  my  officers.  I  was 
now  ordered  to  report  to  Flag  Officer  Franklin  Buchanan  who 
had  been  put  in  command  of  the  vessels  in  the  waters  of  Vir 
ginia.  His  command  consisted  of  the  Merrimac  (iron  clad), 
Beaufort  and  Raleigh,  at  Norfolk,  and  the  steamers  Patrick 
Henry,  Jamestown  and  Teaser  on  the  James  river.  There  were 
several  vessels  building  in  Richmond  and  five  or  six  new  gun 
boats  in  Norfolk.  Two  of  the  latter,  the  Hampton  and  the 
Nansemond,  were  nearly  ready.  I  shall  speak  of  these  vessels 
in  another  place.  They  were  none  of  them  engaged  in  the 
operations  in  Hampton  Roads  which  were  so  soon  to  follow. 


246      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  EVACUATION  OF  NORFOLK  BY  THE  FEDEEALS — ORDNANCE  LEFT  AT  THE 

NAVY   YARD VESSELS    BURNED — THE     "  MERRIMAC  " — IS    CONVERTED 

INTO  AN  IRON-CLAD— HER  DESIGNER — HER  CONSTRUCTION  AND  APPEAR 
ANCE — HER  ARMAMENT — HER   ENGINES  AND  SPEED— HER   DRAFT. 

As  I  have  said  before,  the  evacuation  of  Norfolk  by  the  Fed 
erals  on  the  night  of  April  20th,  1861,  was  one  of  the  most  ex 
traordinary  proceedings  of  the  war.  They  were  in  possession 
of  the  navy  yard  with  its  large  amount  of  ordnance  stores ; 
they  had  several  vessels  in  commission,  and  were  within  12 
miles  of  reinforcements  from  Fortress  Monroe.  By  keeping 
the  Pawnee  running  between  Old  Point  and  Norfolk  they 
could  have  prevented  any  attempt  to  obstruct  the  channel,  and 
the  corvette  Cumberland  with  her  broadside  sprung  upon  the 
town  would  have  kept  the  citizens  quiet.  The  spirit  of  mad 
ness  or  folly  prevailed,  and  I  know  of  no  better  exhibition  of 
it  than  the  fact  that  while  they  were  trying  to  get  out,  our 
people  were  actually  trying  to  obstruct  the  harbor  so  as  to  keep 
them  in. 

During  the  seven  days'  fights  around  Richmond,  after  the 
Federals  were  driven  to  Harrison's  Landing  on  the  James 
river,  I  was  one  day  in  the  Spottswood  hotel.  Officers  were 
constantly  arriving  with  the  latest  news  ;  and  the  most  won 
derful  rumors  were  put  in  circulation.  We  heard  that  "  Lee 
was  about  to  bag  McClellan's  entire  army  ;"  "  that  they  could 
not  get  away ; "  "  that  they  wanted  to  get  away,"  etc.,  etc. 
An  old  planter,  who  had  been  driven  from  his  farm  on  the 
river,  after  listening  to  all  this,  impatiently  exclaimed  :  "  then 
why,  in  God's  name,  don't  we  let  them  go." 

One  would  have  thought  the  people  of  Norfolk  would  have 


ORDNANCE  LEFT  AT  THE  NA  VY  YARD.       247 

looked  upon  the  going  of  the  United  States  vessels  in  the  same 
light. 

To  say  nothing  of  the  other  stores  left  at  the  Navy  Yard  and 
afterwards  used  by  the  Confederates,  the  following  is  a  list  of 
the  guns  as  given  in  the  report  of  Mr.  Win.  H.  Peters,  who 
took  an  inventory  by  order  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia : 

1  11-inch  columbiad. 

2  10-inch    guns. 
52  9-inch         " 

4  8-inch  90  cwt.  guns. 

47  8-inch  63    "      " 

27  8-inch  55    "      " 
1  8-inch  57     "      " 

4  64-pounders,  of  106  cwt. 
225  32-pounders,  "    61    " 
173  32-pouuders,  "    57    " 
44  32-pounders,  "    51     " 

28  32-pounders,  "    46    " 
116  32-pounders,  "    33    " 

44  32-pounders,  "  27  " 
235  61-cwt.  guns,  old  style. 
50  70-cwt.  " 
44  40-cwt.  Shubrick  guns. 
63  42-pounder  carronades. 
35  32-pounder  " 

'  Here  we  have  1195  guns  of  large  calibre ! 

The  vessels  destroyed  or  partially  destroyed  were  the  Penn 
sylvania,  three-decker ;  the  Delaware,  74  ;  the  Columbus,  74 ; 
the  frigates  Merrimae,  Columbia  and  Raritan;  the  sloops-of-war 
Germantown  and  Plymouth,  and  the  brig  Dolphin.  The  old 
frigate  United  States  was  left  intact,  and  was  used  by  the  Con 
federates  as  a  receiving  ship  most  of  the  war.  Of  these  vessels 
the  steam  frigate  Merrimae  was  scuttled  and  sunk,  and  burned 
to  her  copper-line  and  down  through  to  her  berth-deck,  which, 
with  her  spar  and  gun-decks,  was  also  burned.  She  was 
raised,  and  the  powder  in  her  magazine  (put  up  in  air-tight 
copper  tanks)  was  found  to  be  in  good  condition  ;  and  it  was 
afterwards  used  by  her  in  her  engagements. 


248       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER 

Who  first  proposed  to  turn  the  Merrimae  into  an  iron-clad 
I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  It  was  claimed  by  Commander 
John  M.  Brooke  and  by  Naval  Constructor  John  L.  Porter. 
I  have  previously  stated  whom  I  believe  to  have  been  the  first 
officer  in  the  Confederate  Navy  who  fully  appreciated  the  use 
of  iron  in  naval  warfare  and  advised  its  adoption,  Lieutenant 
Wm.  L.  Powell.  In  the  case  of  the  Merrimac,  the  originality 
consisted  in  the  design  and  not  the  use  of  iron.  Lieutenant 
Catesby  Ap.  R.  Jones  says  that  on  the  21st  of  June,  1861,  the 
Hon.  S.  R.  Mallory,  Confederate  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  or 
dered  that  the  Merrimac  should  be  converted  into  an  iron 
clad  on  the  plan  proposed  by  Lieutenant  John  M.  Brooke,  C. 
S.  Navy. 

The  ship  was  raised  as  I  have  said,  and  what  had  previously 
been  her  berth  deck  became  now  her  main  gun  deck.  She 
was  275  feet  long  as  she  then  floated,  and  over  the  central 
portion  of  the  hull  a  house  or  shield  about  160  feet  long  was 
built.  This  shield  was  of  oak  and  pine  wood  two  feet  thick  ; 
the  sides  and  ends  inclined,  according  to  Lieutenant  Jones,  36 
degrees,  and  the  roof  which  was  flat  and  perhaps  20  feet  wide 
was  covered  with  iron  gratings,  leaving  four  hatchways.  Upon 
this  woo<Jen  shield  were  laid  two  courses  of  iron  plates  two 
inches  thick — the  first  course  horizontal  and  the  second  per 
pendicular,  making  four  inches  of  iron  armor  on  two  feet  of 
wood  backing.  The  iron  was  put  on  while  the  vessel  wras  in 
dock,  and  it  was  supposed  that  she  would  float  with  her  ends 
barely  submerged.  So  great  was  her  buoyancy,  however,  that 
it  required  some  800  tons  of  pig  iron  (according  to  boatswain 
Hasker  in  his  account  of  her)  to  bring  her  down  to  her  proper 
depth.  I  know  myself  that  a  quantity  of  iron  was  put  on, 
though  I  cannot  say  how  much.  Now  as  this  iron  was  put  on, 
the  whole  structure  sunk,  and  when  she  was  ready  for  battle 
her  ends,  which  extended  about  50  feet  forward  and  abaft  the 
shield,  were  submerged  to  the  depth  of  several  inches  and  could 
not  be  seen.  I  have  reason  to  recollect  this,  for  I  had  occasion 
to  go  close  alongside  her  several  times  in  the  Beaufort  on  the 


THE  "  MERR1MA  C."  249 

8th  of  March,  and  I  was  always  fearful  of  getting  on  top  of  her 
extremities.  I  could  not  see  where  she  commenced  or  ended ! 

The  appearance  of  the  Merrimac  was  that  of  the  roof  of  a 
house.  Saw  off  the  top  of  a"  house  at  the  eaves,  (supposing  it 
to  be  an  ordinary  gable-ended,  shelving-sides  roof),  pass  a 
plane  parallel  to  the  first  through  the  roof  some  feet  beneath 
the  ridge,  incline  the  gable  ends,  put  it  in  the  wrater  and  you 
have  the  Merrimac  as  she  appeared.  When  she  was  not  in 
action  her  people  stood  on  top  of  this  roof  which  was  in  fact 
her  spar  deck. 

Lieutenant  Catesby  Jones  says :  "  The  prow  was  of  cast  iron, 
wedge  shaped,  and  weighed  1500  pounds.  It  was  about  two 
feet  under  water,  and  projected  two  feet  from  the  stem ;  it  was 
not  well  fastened."  I  may  mention  that  it  was  so  badly  fast 
ened  that  the  best  judges  said  it  would  certainly  break  off 
when  used.  It  will  be  seen  hereafter  that  perhaps  it  was  as 
well  that  it  was  not  well  fastened.  Lieutenant  Jones  says: 
The  rudder  and  propeller  were  unprotected.  The  battery 
consisted  of  ten  guns ;  four  single  banded  Brooke  rifles,  and 
six  9  inch  Dahlgren  guns.  Two  of  the  rifles,  bow  and  stern 
pivots,  were  7-in.  of  14,500  pounds;  the  other  two  were  6.  4-in. 
32-pounder  calibre,  of  9,000  pounds,  one  on  each  broadside. 
The  9-in.  gun  on  each  side  nearest  the  furnaces  was  fitted 
for  firing  hot  shot.  A  few  9-in.  shot  with  extra  windage  were 
cast  for  hot  shot.  No  other  solid  shot  were  on  board  during 
the  fight.  The  engines  were  the  same  the  vessel  had  whilst 
in  the  U.  S.  Navy.  They  were  radically  defective  and  had  been 
condemned  by  the  U.  S.  government.  Some  changes  had  been 
made,  notwithstanding  which  the  engineers  reported  that  they 
were  unreliable.  They  performed  very  well  during  the  fight, 
but  afterwards  failed  several  times,  once  while  under  fire. 
Commodore  Tatnall  commanded  the  Virginia  (Merrimac) 
forty-five  days,  of  which  time  there  were  only  thirteen  days 
that  she  was  not  in  dock  or  in  the  hands  of  the  navy  yard. 
Yet  he  succeeded  in  impressing  the  enemy  that  we  were  ready 
for  active  service." 


250       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

The  chief  engineer  of  the  Merrimac,  Mr.  H.  Ashton  Kamsay, 
had  been  a  shipmate  with  me  in  the  last  cruise  of  the  Herri- 
mac  in  the  Pacific.  He  was  then  a  passed  assistant  engi 
neer.  He  knew  the  engines  well,  and  I  doubt  if  another  man 
in  the  Confederate  Navy  could  have  gotten  as  much  out  of 
them  as  he  did.  He  deserved  all  the  credit  Admiral  Bu 
chanan  afterwards  gave  him.  The  draft  of  water  of  the 
Merrimac  upon  her  first  appearance  in  Hampton  Roads  was 
about  21  ^  feet.  After  she  was  docked  on  the  9th  of  March 
and  more  iron  put  on,  she  drew  about  one  foot  more.  When 
she  went  down  to  the  Roads  on  the  8th  of  March  she  steamed 
about  seven  knots  an  hour.  Ramsay  and  I  agreed  that  she 
steamed  quite  as  well  as  when  we  made  our  cruise  in  her.  After 
docking,  her  speed  was  reduced  about  one  knot  per  hour.  She 
carried  a  full  complement  of  officers  and  320  men — among  the 
latter  were  not  many  regular  man-of-war's  men.  She  was 
christened  the  Virginia  by  the  Confederate  authorities  and 
was  officially  known  by  that  name  ;  but  I  shall  continue  to  call 
her  by  the  name  which  has  become  historical. 


THE  FEDERAL  SHIPS  IN  HAMPTON  ROADS.    251 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  FEDEEAL  SHIPS  IN  HAMPTON  ROADS— THE  "  MERRIMAC  "  AND  HER 
CONSORTS  LEAVE  NORFOLK — THE  BATTLE  OF  HAMPTON  ROADS — THE 
SINKING  OF  THE  "  CUMBERLAND  " — ARRIVAL  OF  THE  JAMES  RIVER 
SQUADRON — THE  BATTERIES  AT  NEWPORT'S  NEWS — THE  FRIGATES  "MIN 
NESOTA,"  "ROANOKE"  AND  "ST.  LAWRENCE''  COME  UP  FROM  OLD 

POINT — THEY  GET  AGROUND — SURRENDER  OF  THE  "  CONGRESS  " — FIRE 
FROM  TROOPS  ON  SHORE — INCIDENTS  OF  THE  BATTLE — THE  FEDERAL 
LOSS — THE  CONFEDERATE  LOSS  —  THE  RAM  AND  IRON-CLAD — CONFEDER 
ATE  GUNBOATS— SERVICES  OF  THE  WOODEN  VESSELS  IN  THIS  BATTLE. 

ABOUT  the  6th  of  March,  1862,  the  Merrimae  being  ready 
to  go  out,  the  Norfolk  papers  published  an  article  to  the  effect 
that  she  was  a  failure,  and  would  not  be  able  to  accomplish 
anything.  It  was  intended,  of  course,  to  deceive  the  enemy, 
who  we  knew  regularly  received  our  papers.  The  Federal 
squadron  then  in  Hampton  Roads,  consisted  of  the  following 
vessels,  viz. :  the  Congress  and  Cumberland,  lying  off  Newport's 
News ;  and  the  Minnesota,  Roanoke  and  St.  Lawrence,  at  anchor 
below  Old  Point.  There  were  also  at  Old  Point  the  store-ship 
Brandywine,  the  steamers  Mt.  Vernon  and  Cambridge,  and  a 
number  of  transports  and  tugs ;  these,  however,  took  no  part 
in  the  subsequent  engagement.  The  Congress  was  a  sailing 
frigate  of  1867  tons,  mounting  50  guns,  principally  32-pounders, 
and  a  crew  of  434  men  ;  the  Cumberland  was  a  large  corvette 
(a  razee)  of  1700  tons,  mounting  22  nine-inch  guns,  and  a  crew 
of  376  men ;  the  Minnesota  was  a  steam  frigate  of  3200  tons, 
mounting  43  guns,  of  9-inch  and  11-inch  calibre,  and  a  crew 
of  about  600  men.  The  Roanoke  was  similar  to  the  Minnesota, 
and  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Congress. 

Newport's  News  is  6£  miles  from  Old  Point  and  12  miles 
from  Norfolk.  It  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  James  river,  and 
above  Old  Point.  The  enemy  had  a  large  number  of  guns 


252        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

mounted  there  to  protect  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  it  had  a 
large  garrison.  At  Seawell's  Point,  oj  miles  from  Old  Point, 
the  Confederates  had  a  powerful  battery  to  protect  the  entrance 
to  the  Elizabeth  river.  It  also,  in  a  measure,  commanded  the 
approach  to  Newport's  News  j  but  the  main  ship  channel  is  at  a 
distance  of  2  or  2J  miles  from  it.  At  Seawell's  Point  was 
mounted  the  only  11-inch  gun  we  had  in  the  Confederacy. 

Everything  being  ready,  it  was  determined  by  Commodore 
Buchanan  to  make  the  attack  on  the  8th  of  March.  The  night 
before,  he  sent  for  me  and  gave  me  my  final  orders.  The  last 
change  made  in  our  signal-books  was  that  if  the  Commodore's 
flag  was  hoisted  under  number  "  one,"  it  'meant  "  sink  before 
you  surrender."  Mr.  Hopkins,  W7ho  had  formerly  been  my 
pilot,  came  on  board  the  Beaufort  as  a  volunteer,  and  Midship 
man  Ivy  Foreman,  of  North  Carolina,  reported  to  me  as  volun 
teer  aid.  They  both  rendered  excellent  service  the  next  day. 

At  11  A.  M.,  March  8, 1862,  the  signal  was  made 'to  sail,  and 
the  Beaufort  cast  off  from  the  wharf  in  company  with  the 
Merrimac  and  Raleigh,  and  stood  down  the  harbor.  The 
weather  was  fair,  the  wind  light,  and  the  tide  half  flood  ;  the 
moon  was  nine  days'  old.  Nearly  every  man,  woman  and 
child  in  the  two  cities  of  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth  were  at  the 
same  time  on  their  way  to  Seawell's  Point,  Craney  Island  and 
other  points,  where  they  could  see  the  great  naval  combat 
which  they  knew  was  at  last  to  take  place.  Some  went  by 
land,  others  by  water.  All  the  batteries  were  manned ;  all 
work  was  suspended  in  public  and  private  yards,  and  those 
who  were  forced  to  remain  behind  were  offering  up  prayers 
for  our  success.  A  great  stillness  came  over  the  land. 

Flag  Officer  Forrest  who  commanded  the  station,  accom 
panied  by  all  the  officers  of  the  navy  yard  went  down  with  us 
in  the  Harmony  as  far  as  Craney  island,  4J  miles  below  Nor 
folk.  Everything  that  would  float,  from  the  army  tug-boat  to 
the  oysterman's  skiff,  was  on  its  way  down  to  the  same  point 
loaded  to  the  water's  edge  with  spectators.  As  we  steamed 
down  the  harbor  we  were  saluted  by  the  waving  of  caps  and 


THE  BA  TTLE  OF  HAMPTON  ROADS.  253 

handkerchiefs ;  but  no  voice  broke  the  silence  of  the  scene  ;  all 
hearts  were  too  full  for  utterance;  an  attempt  at  cheering 
would  have  ended  in  tears,  for  all  realized  the  fact  that  here 
was  to  be  tried  the  great  experiment  of  the  ram  and  iron-clad 
in  naval  warfare.  There  were  many  who  thought  that  as  soon 
as  the  Merrimae  rammed  a  vessel  she  would  sink  with  all 
hands  enclosed  in  an  iron-plated  coffin.  The  least  moved  of 
all,  were  those  who  were  about  to  do  battle  for  the  "  Cause " 
they  believed  in.  On  board  the  Merrimae  the  officers  and 
men  were  coolly  employed  in  the  multifarious  duties  that  de 
volved  upon  them,  while  the  men  of  the  Beaufort  and  Raleigh 
were  going  into  battle  with  the  same  careless  insouciance  they 
had  exhibited  in  the  battles  of  Roanoke  island  and  Elizabeth 
City. 

The  James  river  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Patrick  Henry, 
Jamestown  and  Teaser,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Tucker, 
had  been  previously  notified  by  Commodore  Buchanan  that 
the  Merrimae  would  go  out  on  the  8th,  and  Tucker  was  direct 
ed  to  come  down  the  river  as  close  to  Newport's  News  as  he' 
deemed  prudent,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  dash  by  the  batteries  and 
join  our  division  when  the  action  commenced.  The  commo 
dore  could  not  have  given  the  order  to  a  better  man — eager  to 
engage  the  enemy,  Tucker,  the  most  chivalric  and  bravest  of 
men,  ably  seconded  by  his  gallant  captains,  Nicholas  Barney, 
Webb,  and  Rochelle,  was  only  too  ready  to  fly  the  Confederate 
flag  in  Hampton  Roads.  At  daylight  that  morning  he  was  at 
anchor  off  Smithfield  Point — some  ten  miles  above  Newport's 
News — and  in  full  view  of  the  enemy,  as  afterwards  reported 
by  Lieutenant  George  Morris  who,  in  the  absence  of  her  com 
mander,  fought  the  Cumberland.  As  we  got  down  towards  the 
mouth  of  the  Elizabeth  river,  about  12.30  P.  M.,  the  Beaufort 
took  a  line  from  the  port  bow  of  the  Merrimae  to  assist  her  in 
steering — being  very  near  the  bottom  she  steered  very  badly. 
Mr.  Cunningham,  one  of  her  pilots,  came  on  b6%rd  at  the  same 
time  by  order  of  Commodore  Buchanan.  This  gave  the  Beau 
fort  three  pilots ;  the  Merrimae  remained  with  three,  and  the  Ral- 


254        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

eigh  with  one.  We  turned  up  the  James  river.  The  Congress 
and  Cumberland  were  lying  off  Newport's  News  and  were  riding 
to  the  last  of  the  flood  tide.  They  had  their  "  washed  clothes" 
up  at  the  time  we  saw  them,  I  remember,  which  shows  how 
entirely  unexpected  our  appearance  was — in  fact  the  captain 
of  the  Cumberland,  Commander  William  C.  Radford,  was  at 
this  time  on  board  the  frigate  Roanoke  below  Old  Point  attend 
ing  a  court-martial.  Lieutenant  George  Morris  was  left  in  com 
mand,  and  the  ship  could  not  have  been  better  fought  by  any 
officer  of  the  U.  S.  navy. 

The  Cumberland  was  lying  at  anchor  just  above  Newport's 
News,  and  the  Congress  abreast  the  Point.  As  soon  as  our 
vessels  turned  up  the  James  river  the  enemy  saw  that  our 
attack  would  be  made  upon  the  frigates,  lying  off  Newport's 
News,  and  the  two  ships  there  commenced  getting  ready  to 
receive  it. 

At  1.30  P.  M.  we  cast  off  the  line  from  the  Merrimae,  and  all 
three  vessels  steamed  for  the  enemy,  the  Beaufort  maintaining 
her  position  on  the  port  bow  of  the  Merrimae;  and  exactly  at 
2  P.  M.  we  fired  the  first  gun  of  the  day,  and  at  the  same  time 
hoisted  the  battle  flag  we  had  used  at  Roanoke  island  at  the 
mast-head.  This  flag  resembled  the  French  flag — it  was,  I 
think,  the  colors  reversed.  It  was  devised  by  Commodore 
Lynch  and  was  used  by  his  squadron.  I  had  not  thought  of 
referring  the  matter  to  Commodore  Buchanan ;  but  I  deter 
mined  to  hoist  it  "  for  luck,"  and  I  will  not  deny  that  I  had 
some  superstition  in  connection  with  it.  The  men  were  all  for 
hoisting  it,  and  that  decided  me.  I  do  not  wonder  that  Cap 
tain  Marston  of  the  Roanoke  said  in  his  report :  "  It  was  the 
impression  of  some  of  my  officers  that  the  rebels  hoisted  the 
French  flag." 

The  Merrimae  now  hoisted  the  signal,  "  close  action,"  and 
from  that  time  until  the  surrender  of  the  Congress  she  made  no 
signal,  nor  did  sfie  answer  one.  I  mention  this  particularly  as 
it  caused  me  to  consider  that  I  must  use  my  own  judgment 
during  the  battle — only  recollecting  to  obey  the  signal  for  close 


THE  SINKING  OF  THE  CUMBERLAND.          255 

action — and  I  know  that  other  officers  commanding  gunboats 
thought  as  I  did. 

The  fire  of  the  Cumberland  on  the  Merrimac  was  so  heavy 
while  it  lasted  that  it  was  impossible  for  a  man  to  stand  on 
her  upper  deck  and  live — so  perhaps  was  the  fire  of  the  Con 
gress.  I  only  mention  the  fact  stated ;  and  I  have  no  recol 
lection  of  seeing  a  man  on  the  deck  of  the  Merrimac  from  the 
beginning  of  the  fight  until  after  the  Congress  surrendered. 
During  the  afternoon,  in  the  heat  of  the  action,  the  Raleigh 
came  alongside  me  and  her  commander,  Lieutenant  Alexander, 
told  me  the  carriage  of  his  gun  was  disabled  and  he  could 
not  fire  a  shot.  He  said  he  could  not  get  his  signals  answered 
by  the  Merrimac,  and  wanted  to  know  what  he  should  do.  I 
directed  him  to  return  to  Norfolk.  This  is  in  corroboration 
of  what  I  have  said  above.  Fortunately  Alexander  repaired 
the  damage  and  did  not  have  to  leave  the  fight. 

As  we  approached  the  enemy,  firing  and  receiving  their  fire, 
the  Merrimac  passed  the  Congress  and  made  for  the  Cumber 
land — which  vessel  w^  either  just  turning  to  the  ebb  tide, 
or  had  her  broadside  sprung  across  the  channel.  The  Beau 
fort  and  Raleigh  engaged  the  Congress  and  shore  batteries, 
and  the  firing  became  fast  and  furious.  I  took  up  a  position 
on  the  port  quarter  of  the  Congress  and  used  the  rifled  gun 
with  effect.  The  Merrimac  rammed  the  Cumberland,  striking 
her  just  forward  of  the  starboard  fore  channel — firing  and  re 
ceiving  a  heavy  fire  in  return — and  stove  her  bow  in  so  com 
pletely  that  she  at  once  commenced  to  go  down.  As  she  took 
the  bottom  she  turned  over  on  her  beam-ends.  She  made  a  gal 
lant  defence,  her  crew  fighting  their  guns  to  the  last,  and  went 
down  with  her  colors  flying.  This  was  at  2.40  P.  M.  precisely. 
Boats  went  off  from  Newport's  News  to  save  the  drowning 
men.  The  Merrimac  reversed  her  engines  immediately  upon 
ramming  the  Cumberland,  and  had  some  difficulty  in  extri 
cating  herself — indeed  her  bow  sunk  several  feet.  When  free, 
she  proceeded  a  short  distance  up  the  river  to  turn  round, 
having  done  which  she  stood  for  the  Congress. 


256        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

As  soon  as  the  Congress  observed  the  fate  of  her  consort  she 
slipped  her  cable,  set  her  fore-topsail  flying,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  a  tug,  ran  on  shore  below  Newport's  News.  At 
this  time  I  observed  the  James  river  squadron  coming  gal 
lantly  into  action ;  they  were  under  a  very  heavy  fire  while 
passing  the  Newport's  News  batteries,  but  got  by  without  re 
ceiving  much  damage.  All  of  our  vessels  now  directed  their 
fire  upon  the  Congress.  I  took  up  a  position  on  her  starboard 
quarter  and  kept  it  until  she  surrendered.  The  fire  on  this 
unfortunate  ship  was  perfectly  terrific.  She  returned  it  with 
alacrity,  principally  from  her  stern  guns,  and  was  assisted  by 
the  batteries  on  shore. 

We  saw  now  the  frigates  Minnesota,  Roanoke  and  St.  Law 
rence  coming  up  from  Old  Point  to  the  assistance  of  the 
Congress,  towed  by  powerful  tugs.  They  were  under  a  heavy 
fire  from  the  batteries  on  Seawell's  Point  as  they  passed,  and 
received  some  damage.  The  Minnesota  received  a  rifle-shot 
through  her  mainmast, "  crippling  it,"  according  to  her  captain's 
report.  Strange  to  say  all  three  of  thes* vessels  ran  aground  ; 
the  Minnesota  about  one  and  a  half  miles  below  Newport's 
News,  the  St.  Lawrence  farther  down,  and  the  Roanoke  below 
her  again.  The  Minnesota  was  near  enough  to  take  part  in 
the  engagement  and  the  St.  Lawrence  fired  a  few  broadsides. 
The  Roanoke  and  St.  Lawrence  were  soon  pulled  off  by  the 
tugs  and  made  the  best  of  their  way  back  to  Old  Point. 
They  took  no  farther  part  in  the  battle.  The  Minnesota 
remained  aground.  The  Congress  made  a  gallant  defence  and 
did  not  surrender  until  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes  after 
the  sinking  of  the  Cumberland.  Her  decks  were  running  with 
blood,  and  she  bore  the  brunt  of  the  day.  At  4  o'clock  she 
hoisted  a  large  white  flag  at  her  mainmast  head,  and  as  it 
went  up,  Midshipman  Mallory  in  charge  of  our  bow-gun, 
waved  his  cap  and  exclaimed :  "  I'll  swear  on  the  Bible  that 
we  fired  the  last  gun !  "  So  the  Beaufort  fired  the  first  and  last 
gun  in  this  memorable  battle.  When  I  saw  the  white  flag  I 
immediately  lowered  a  boat,  and  sent  Midshipmen  Mallory 


SURRENDER  OF  THE  CONGRESS.  257 

and  Foreman  with  a  boat's  crew  of  three  men  to  take  posses 
sion  of  the  prize  and  bring  her  commander  on  board  the 
Beaufort.  As  the  boat  approached  the  Congress  .a  marine  at 
the  gangway  levelled  his  piece,  and  threatened  to  fire ;  but 
Mallory  told  him  he  was  ordered  to  board  the  vessel,  and  was 
"  bound  to  do  it,"  and  pulled  alongside.  He  and  his  com 
panions  got  on  board,  and  Midshipman  Foreman  hauled  down 
the  colors  and  brought  them  to  me. 

The  firing  having  ceased,  the  Merrimac  signalled  me  to  come 
within  hail,  which  I  did.  Commodore  Buchanan  then  ordered 
me  to  "go  alongside  the  Congress,  to  take  the  officers  and 
wounded  men  prisoners,  to  permit  the  others  to  escape  to  the 
shore,  and  then  to  burn  the  ship."  I  went  alongside  her  in  the 
Beaufort,  at  the  port  gangway,  and  sent  an  officer  to  direct  her 
commander  to  come  to  me,  at  the  same  time  sending  my  men 
aboard  to  help  to  get  the  wounded  men  to  the  Beaufort.  I  did 
not  think  it  proper  to  leave  my  vessel  myself  as  I  had  but  two 
young  and  inexperienced  midshipmen  with  me,  and  I  saw  an 
enemy's  gunboat  not  very  far  off.  In  a  few  minutes  Lieuten 
ant  Austin  Pendergrast  came  down  the  side  of  the  Congress 
accompanied  by  an  officer  whom  I  took  to  be  the  purser  or 
surgeon  of  the  ship.  It  proved  to  be  Captain  William  Smith 
who  had  been  in  command  until  a  few  days  before,  when  he  had 
been  relieved  by  Lieutenant  Joseph  B.  Smith.  Lieutenant 
Smith  was  killed  in  the  action,  which  left  Pendergrast  in  com 
mand.  Captain  Smith  was  acting  as  a  volunteer ;  but  this  I 
learned  afterwards.  These  two  officers  landed  on  the  hurricane 
deck  of  the  Beaufort  where  I  was  standing,  and  surrendered  the 
ship.  As  they  were  without  side-arms  I  thought  it  proper  to  re 
quest  them  to  return  to  their  ship  and  get  them.  This  they  did, 
though  Pendergrast  delivered  to  me  a  ship's  cutlass  instead  of 
the  regulation  sword.  I  now  told  Pendergrast  my  orders  and 
asked  him  to  get  his  officers  and  wounded  men  on  board  as 
quickly  as  possible  as  I  wanted  to  burn  the  ship.  He  said 
there  were  60  wounded  men  on  board  the  frigate  and  begged 
me  not  to  burn  the  vessel.  I  told  him  my  orders  were  per- 


258       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

emptory.  While  we  were  engaged  in  this  conversation  the 
wounded  men  were  being  lowered  into  the  Beaufort,  and  just 
then  the  Raleigh  came  alongside  me.  Lieutenant  Tayloe  came 
on  board  and  said  Captain  Alexander  had  sent  him  to  me  for 
orders.  I  directed  him  to  take  the  Raleigh  to  the  starboard 
side  of  the  Congress  and  assist  in  getting  off  the  wounded  men. 
I  had  scarcely  given  him  the  order  when  a  tremendous  fire 
was  opened  on  us  from  the  shore  by  a  regiment  of  soldiers — 
Medical  Director  Shippen  says  it  was  the  20th  Indiana.  The 
firing  was  from  artillery  as  well  as  small  arms.  At  the  first 
discharge  every  man  on  the  deck  of  the  Beaufort — save  Cap 
tain  Smith  and  Lieutenant  Pendergrast — was  either  killed  or 
wounded.  Four  bullets  passed  through  my  clothing ;  one  of 
which  carried  off  my  cap  cover  and  eye  glass,  and  another 
slightly  wounded  me  in  the  left  knee,  precisely  in  the  spot 
where  my  friend  Fauntleroy  had  accidentally  wounded  me  at 
the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz.  Lieutenant  Pendergrast  now  begged 
me  to  hoist  the  white  flag,  saying  that  all  his  wounded  men 
would  be  killed.  I  called  his  attention  to  the  fact  that  they 
were  firing  on  the  white  flag  which  was  flying  at  his  mainmast 
head  directly  over  our  heads.  I  said  I  would  not  hoist  it  on 
the  Beaufort ;  in  fact  I  did  not  feel  authorized  to  do  so  without 
consulting  Commodore  Buchanan.  I  said :  "  Tell  your  men 
to  stop  firing ;"  he  replied :  "  They  are  a  lot  of  volunteers  and 
I  have  no  control  over  them."  This  was  evident.  The  lieu 
tenant  then  requested  permission  to  go  on  board  the  Congress 
with  Captain  Smith  and  assist  in  getting  the  wounded  down. 
This  I  assented  to ;  in  the  first  place,  I  was  glad  to  have  their 
assistance ;  and  secondly,  I  would  not  have  been  willing  to 
confine  them  in  my  cabin  at  a  time  when  the  bullets  were  going 
through  it  like  hail — humanity  forbade  it ;  I  would  not  have 
put  a  dog  there. 

I  now  blew  the  steam-whistle,  and  my  men  came  tumbling 
on  board.  The  fire  of  the  enemy  still  continuing  from  the 
shore,  I  cast  off  from  the  Congress  and  steamed  ahead  so  that 
I  could  bring  my  bow  gun  to  bear.  I  had  no  idea  of  being 


THE  FEDERAL  LOSS.  259 

fired  at  any  longer  without  returning  it,  and  we  had  several 
deaths  to  avenge.  We  opened  fire,  but  could  make  little  im 
pression  with  our  single  gun  upon  the  large  number  of  men 
firing  from  intrenchments  on  shore.  The  sides  and  masts  of 
the  Beaufort  looked  like  the  top  of  a  pepper-box  from  the  bul 
lets,  which  went  in  one  side  and  out  at  the  other.  Being  much 
encumbered  with  the  prisoners,  five  of  whom  were  wounded, 
and  having  no  medical  officer  on  board,  I  ran  alongside  the 
steamer  Harmony  and  delivered  them  to  Flag  Officer  Forrest. 
They  consisted  of  Master's  Mate  Peter  Hargous  and  25  men. 
We  then  steamed  immediately  back  and  joined  the  other  ves 
sels  in  the  attack  on  the  Minnesota,  wrhich  vessel  was  still  on 
shore.  The  air  seemed  to  be  full  of  shot  and  shell  from  this 
time  till  some  time  between  7  and  8  P.  M.,  when  we  hauled  off 
in  obedience  to  signal,  and  anchored  between  Seawell's  Point 
and  Craney  island.  Dr.  Herbert  Nash  kindly  came  off  from 
the  latter  post  and  attended  to  the  wants  of  the  wounded  on 
the  Beaufort. 

At  midnight  the  Congress  blew  up.  According  to  the  report 
of  Lieutenant  Pendergrast  she  had  been  on  fire  from  the  be 
ginning  of  the  action  ;  and  Medical  Director  Shippen,  who 
from  his  station  would  be  likely  to  know,  says :  "  We  were  on 
fire  in  the  sick-bay,  in  the  main-hold,  and  under  the  ward-room 
near  the  after-magazine.  Some  of  these  fires  were  extinguished, 
but  the  most  dangerous  one,  that  near  the  after-magazine,  was 
never  extinguished,  and  was  the  cause  of  the  explosion,  which, 
during  the  following  night,  blew  the  ship  to  pieces." 

The  results  of  this  day's  operations  were  the  total  destruc 
tion  of  the  frigate  Congress  and  corvette  Cumberland,  and  the 
partial  crippling  of  the  frigate  Minnesota.  The  loss  in  killed 
and  drowned  on  board  the  Cumberland,  as  reported  by  her 
commander,  was  121  ;  and  the  surgeon  reports  14  wounded, 
which  makes  135  casualties.  I  find  it  difficult  to  ascertain 
from  Lieutenant  Pendergrast's  report  how  many  men  the  Con 
gress  lost  in  all.  He  gives  the  total  number  of  killed  and 
missing  as  136  ;  he  then  deducts  26  wounded,  taken  on  shore, 


260       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

which  leaves  110.  If  there  were  60  wounded  men  when  I 
went  alongside,  as  he  said  (and  this  number  was  certainly  not 
exaggerated),  and  if  he  sent  26  on  shore,  these,  with  the  5  I 
had,  would  account  for  31  ;  which  leaves  29  unaccounted  for, 
or  still  on  board ;  and  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  some  wounded 
men  were  left  on  board  to  be  consumed  by  the  flames,  who 
would  have  been  taken  off  by  the  Beaufort  and  Raleigh,  under 
the  flag  of  truce,  had  they  not  been  fired  upon  by  the  troops  on 
shore.  The  fire  of  these  troops  killed  their  own  wounded  men 
as  they  were  being  lowered  over  the  side,  and  rendered  it  im 
possible  for  us  to  continue  the  work.  The  Raleigh  did  not  take 
a  man  on  board  from  the  Congress.  The  Minnesota  lost  3 
killed  and  16  wounded,  and  there  were  some  casualties  reported 
among  the  other  vessels.  From  what  I  can  gather,  I  think 
the  loss  in  the  Federal  fleet  in  killed,  drowned,  wounded  and 
missing  amounted  to  nearly  400  men. 

On  our  side  the  Merrimae  lost  21  in  killed  and  wounded ; 
the  Patrick  Henry,  14 ;  the  Beaufort,  8;  the  Raleigh  had  Lieu 
tenant  Tayloe  and  Midshipman  Hutter  killed,  how  many  men 
I  do  not  know ;  nor  have  I  any  information  as  to  the  number 
of  killed  and  wounded  in  the  Teaser.  The  Jamestown  had  no 
casualties.  Our  total  loss,  however,  did  not  exceed  60.  On 
the  Merrimae,  Commodore  Buchanan  and  his  flag  lieutenant, 
Robert  D.  Minor,  were  wounded.  Captain  Webb,  of  the  Teaser, 
and  Alexander  of  the  Raleigh,  received  slight  wounds,  but  not 
enough  to  disable  them.  Lieutenant  Tayloe  and  Midshipman 
Hutter  fell  at  the  first  murderous  discharge  from  the  shore, 
while  the  Raleigh  lay  alongside  me;  in  fact,  I  had  just  assisted 
Mr.  Tayloe  to  step  over  to  the  hurricane  deck  of  the  Raleigh, 
after  giving  him  his  orders,  when  he  was  shot.  They  were  both 
killed  under  the  flag  of  truce,  Their  loss  was  deeply  felt  by 
their  comrades.  Young  and  full  of  promise,  it  did  indeed  seem 
hard  that  they  should  fall  at  the  end  of  a  battle  in  which  they 
had  rendered  such  gallant  service.  Commodore  Buchanan  and 
Lieutenant  Minor  were  sent  to  the  Naval  Hospital  at  Norfolk 
on  the  morning  of  the  9th,  and  the  command  of  the  squadron 


THE  RAM  AND  IRON-  CLAD.  261 

devolved  upon  Captain  John  R.  Tucker,  of  the  Patrick  Henry. 
He  did  not  leave  his  own  vessel,  however,  and  Lieutenant 
Catesby  Ap.  R.  Jones  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Mer 
rimae. 

The  result  of  this  day's  battle — which  was  to  revolutionize 
the  navies  of  the  world,  as  showing  the  power  of  the  ram  and 
iron-clad — has  immortalized  the  name  of  the  Merrimae ;  this 
all  will  concede.  But  in  all  descriptions  of  this  battle  the 
Merrimae  has  so  completely  overshadowed  her  consorts  that 
if  they  are  alluded  to  at  all  it  is  in  a  light  way ;  and  the 
gunboats  are  frequently  denominated  tugs.  Indeed  the  people 
on  both  sides  formed  such  extravagant  notions  concerning  the 
Merrimae  that  they  seemed  to  think  that  from  that  time  for 
ward  a  gun  could  do  no  damage  unless  mounted  upon  an  iron 
clad  vessel.  The  Confederate  accounts  of  the  battle  were  full 
of  the  Merrimae,  the  fire  from  her  guns,  etc., — and  but  little 
was  said  of  the  smaller  vessels  whose  fire  was  equally  effective. 
Justice  to  those  who  served  in  these  vessels  and  especially  to 
those  who  died  upon  their  decks,  requires  that  I  should  estab 
lish  this  fact.  As  Campbell  sings : 

"And  yet,  amidst. this  joy  and  uproar, 
Let  us  think  of  them  that  sleep, 
Full  many  a  fathom  deep, 
By  thy  cold  and  stormy  steep,  Elsinore," 

premising  that  it  is  difficult  to  make  anyone  at  the  present  day 
understand  what  absurd  and  ridiculous  men-of-war  our  gunboats 
really  were.  The  magazine  and  boiler  being  above  the  wrater- 
line,  and  the  hull  of  one-fourth  inch  iron,  or  one  inch  planking, 
a  man  serving  in  one  of  them  stood  a  chance  of  death  in  four 
forms :  he  could  be  killed  by  the  enemy's  shot,  (this  was  the  legiti 
mate  form)  ;  he  could  be  drowned  by  his  vessel  being  sunk,  (this 
might  also  be  called  a  legitimate  form) ;  he  could  be  blown  up 
by  a  shot  exploding  the  magazine,  or  he  could  be  scalded  to 
death  by  a  shot  passing  through  the  boiler — the  last  two 
methods  I  always  considered  unlawful,  and  (strange  as  it  may 
appear)  strongly  objected  to ! 


262      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

To  prove  the  services  of  the  wooden  vessels  in  the  battle 
of  Hampton  Roads  I  shall  quote  only  the  Federal  accounts. 
The  italics  are  mine.  The  Secretary  of  the.  Navy,  Hon. 
Gideon  Welles,  in  his  report  of  1862  says :  "  Having  thus 
destroyed  the  Cumberland,  the  Merrimac  turned  again  upon 
the  Congress,  which  had  in  the  meantime  been  engaged 
with  the  smaller  rebel  steamers  [the  Beaufort  and  Raleigh,] 
and  after  a  heavy  loss,  in  order  to  guard  against  such  a 
fate  as  that  which  had  befallen  the  Cumberland,  had  been 
run  aground.  The  Merrimac  now  selected  a  raking  posi 
tion  astern  of  the  Congress,  while  one  of  the  smaller  steamers 
poured  in  a  constant  fire  on  her  starboard  quarter.  Two  other 
steamers  of  the  enemy  also  approached  from  James  river  firing 
upon  the  unfortunate  frigate  with  precision  and  severe  effect." 
The  Minnesota,  which  had  also  got  aground  in  the  shallow 
waters  of  the  channel,  became  the  special  object  of  attack,  and 
the  Merrimac  with  the  Yorktown  and  Jamestown  bore  down 
upon  her.  The  Merrimac  drew  too  much  water  to  approach 
very  near;  her  fire  was  not  therefore  particularly  effective. 
The  other  steamers  selected  their  positions,  fired  with  much 
accuracy,  and  caused  considerable  damage  to  the  Minnesota" 
Captain  G.  Van  Brunt  who  commanded  the  Minnesota  cor 
roborates  the  above.  Lieutenant  Pendergrast  who  commanded 
the  Congress  in  his  report  says :  "  After  passing  the  Congress, 
she  (the  Merrimac)  ran  into  and  sank  the  United  States 
sloop-of-war  Cumberland.  The  smaller  vessels  then  attacked 
us  killing  and  wounding  many  of  our  crew.  At  3.30  the 
Merrimac  took  a  position  astern  of  us  at  a  distance  of  about 
150  yards  and  raked  us  fore  and  aft  with  shells,  while  one  of 
the  smaller  steamers  kept  up  a  fire  on  our  starboard  quarter. 
In  the  meantime  the  Patrick  Henry  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  rebel 
steamers,  approached  us  from  up  the  James  river  firing  with 
precision  and  doing  us  great  damage" 

I  think  I  have  quoted  enough  to  show  that  the  wooden  vessels 

,bore  an  important  part  in  this  battle,  and  will  only  add  that  when 

Midshipman  Mallory  first  boarded  the  Congress,  Lieutenant 


WOODEN  VESSELS.  263 

Pendergrast  asked  him  the  name  of  my  vessel  and  said  that  a  shot 
from  her  went  into  the  starboard  quarter  of  the  Congress  and, 
traversing  the  whole  length  of  the  gun  deck,  went  out  of  the  port 
bow.  We  took  from  the  Congress  16  navy  revolvers,  8  Minie 
rifles,  20  Sharp's  rifles,  and  10  cutlasses,  which  I  believe  is 
about  all  that  was  saved  from  her  by  either  side.  And  here  I 
will  stop  to  say  that  we  made  a  mistake  in  not  trying  to  get 
the  Congress  afloat  and  towing  her  up  to  Norfolk.  I  thought 
of  doing  it  at  the  time  the  Raleigh  came  to  me ;  but  my  orders 
to  burn  her  were  imperative  and  I  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to 
try  it.  She  went  on  shore  at  half  tide  and  I  think  could  have 
been  pulled  off  at  the  next  high  water. 

We  had  to  regret  the  loss  of  Jack  Robinson,  the  captain 
of  our  gun.  Poor  fellow!  he  was  faithful  to  the  last. 
When  I  first  sent  my  men  on  board  the  Congress  to  assist 
the  wounded,  I  saw  him  standing,  with  his  arms  folded, 
at  the  breech  of  his  gun,  and  demanded  to  know  why  he 
had  not  obeyed  the  order.  "  Why  captain,"  said  he,  point 
ing  to  a  gunboat  near  by,  "  they  can  come  and  take  you  while 
we  are  gone."  "  Never  mind  that,"  said  I,  "  I  want  your  help 
here."  He  went,  and  I  observed  soon  returned  and  took  up 
his  former  position.  He  was  killed  at  the  first  fire  from  the 
shore  by  a  rifle  ball  passing  through  his  body.  In  getting  him 
below  he  suffered  so  much  I  had  him  taken  to  the  cabin  and 
laid  upon  my  bed.  We  had  no  surgeon  or  medical  stores,  but 
that  did  not  matter  in  his  case  as  his  wound  was  mortal.  After 
the  battle  I  went  to  see  him  and  asked  him  what  I  could  do 
for  him.  He  said  he  would  like  a  cup  of  tea  and  a  pair  of 
clean  socks,  which  were  given  him.  He  died  at  8  o'clock,  quietly 
and  resignedly ;  not  the  first  sailor  I  have  seen  die  in  the  same 
way. 

"  Yet,  though  the  worms  gnaw  his  timbers  and  his  vessel's  a  wreck, 
When  he  hears  the  Last  Whistle,  he'll  spring  up  on  deck." 


264      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  NIGHT  OP  THE  8TH  OF  MARCH — THE  BATTLE  BETWEEN  THE  <c  HERRI- 
MAC  "  AND  "MONITOR"— REMARKS  UPON  THIS  BATTLE— INJURIES  OF  THE 
"MERRIMAO" — WHAT  WAS  EXPECTED  OF  HER  NORTH  AND  SOUTH — 
WHAT  SHE  COULD  NOT  HAVE  DONE— THE  CASE  OF  CAPTAIN  SMITH  AND 

LIEUTENANT  PENDERGRAST — WHAT  A  WHITE  FLAG  SIGNIFIES — LIEU 
TENANT  JOS.  B.  SMITH — COMMODORE  TATTNALL  RELIEVES  ADMIRAL 
BUCHANAN  IN  THE  COMMAND— HIS  CHARACTER — PREPARATIONS  FOR 
ANOTHER  BATTLE. 

WHEN  we  retired  the  night  of  the  8th  of  March  we  hoped 
to  accomplish  a  great  day's  work  the  following  day.  The 
Minnesota  was  aground,  the  Roanoke  and  St.  Lawrence  had 
retired  below  Old  Point,  and  we  knew  the  enemy  was  greatly 
demoralized.  We  did  not  know  how  much  ;  no  mortal  man 
could  have  surmised  what  we  afterwards  knew;  but  we  in 
tended  to  destroy  the  Minnesota  and  then  to  see  what  we  could 
do  with  the  vessels  below  Old  Point.  But  "the  best  laid 
plans  of  mice  and  men,"  etc.  We  had  heard  of  the  Monitor  ; 
though  I  believe  our  authorities  did  not  know  much  about  her, 
or  how  near  she  was  to  completion. 

Shortly  after  8  A.  M.  on  the  9th  the  squadron  got  under- 
weigh  and  the  Merrimac  proceeded  towards  the  Minnesota, 
closely  attended  by  the  Patrick  Henry.  The  Monitor  now 
made  her  appearance — some  one  said  she  looked  like  a 
cheese-box.  She  engaged  the  Merrimac  for  some  time,  the 
wooden  vessels  looking  on.  It  was  a  naval  duel,  though  the 
Merrimac  occasionally  fired  at  theMinnesota  and  received  h«r 
shot  in  return.  It  appeared  to  be  a  battle  between  a  giant  and 
a  pigmy ;  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  Merrimac  was 
very  hard  to  manage  and  drew  twenty-two  feet  water, 
whereas  the  Monitor  was  readily  handled,  and  drew  but 


"MERRIMAC"  AND  ''  MONITOR."  265 

ten  feet  water.  In  point  of  fact,  it  was  not  necessary  to 
manoeuvre  the  Monitor  at  all ;  for  as  her  turret  revolved,  all 
she  had  to  do  was  to  remain  still.  This  indeed  is  one  of  the 
strong  points  of  this  class  of  vessels  in  fighting  in  rivers  or 
shallow  water.  They  can  always  bring  a  gun  to  bear  as  long 
as  the  turret  will  revolve. 

After  some  time,  the  Merrimac  succeeded  in  ramming  the 
Monitor ;  but  her  prow  had.  been  broken  off  in  ramming  the 
Cumberland  the  day  before,  and  she  did  her  no  harm.  The 
Monitor  in  turn  attempted  to  run  close  to  the  stern  of  the 
Merrimac  in  the  hope  of  disabling  her  rudder,  but  was  not 
successful.  Towards  12  o'clock  the  Monitor  steamed  down  to 
wards  Old  Point,  and  the  Merrimac,  after  waiting  awhile, 
turned  in  the  direction  of  Norfolk.  The  signal  wTas  made  to 
follow  her,  and  the  squadron  proceeded  up  to  the  Navy  Yard, 
where  we  arrived  at  2  P.  M.  and  sent  our  wounded  men  to  the 
Naval  Hospital.  The  Merrimac  went  into  dock  at  six  o'clock 
the  same  day. 

Much  has  been  written  and  more  said  about  this  celebrated 
fight — the  first  encounter  between  iron-clads  in  the  world's 
history.  Viewing  it  as  I  did  at  a  distance  of  more  than  a  mile, 
I  will  state  that  my  impression  at  the  time  was  that,  after 
hammering  away  at  each  other  for  three  hours,  and  finding 
that  the  men  were  wearied  out,  without  making  much  impres 
sion  on  either  side,  both  vessels  had  simultaneously  drawn  off*, 
and  decided  to  consider  it  a  drawn  battle  ;  that,  in  fact, 

"  Each,  took  off  his  several  way. 
Resolved  to  meet  some  other  day." 

A  careful  analysis  of  the  testimony  on  both  sides  has  since 
convinced  me  that  the  Monitor  withdrew  first,  and  ran  into 
shoal  water — she.  gave  up  the  contest.  It  seems  to  me  that 
Captain  Van  Brunt's  testimony  should  be  conclusive  on  this 
point.  His  vessel  was  on  shore  and  her  fate  depended  upon 
the  result  of  the  encounter — he  must  have  closely  noted  it.  He 
says  (the  italics  are  mine)  :  "  For  some  time  after  this  the 
12 


266       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

rebels  concentrated  their  whole  battery  upon  the  tower  and 
pilot-house  of  the  Monitor,  and  soon  after  the  latter  stood  down 
for  Fortress  Monroe,  and  we  thought  it  probable  she  had  ex 
hausted  her  supply  of  ammunition  or  sustained  some  injury. 
Soon  after  the  Merrimac  and  the  two  other  steamers  headed 
for  my  ship,  and  I  then  felt  to  the  fullest  extent  my  condition. 
I  was  hard  and  immovably  aground,  and  they  could  take  po 
sition  under  my  stern  and  rake  me.  I  had  expended  most  of 
my  solid  shot ;  my  ship  was  badly  crippled,  and  my  officers 
and  men  were  worn  out  with  fatigue :  but  even  in  this  extreme 
dilemma,  I  determined  never  to  give  up  the  ship  to  the  rebels, 
and,  after  consulting  with  my  officers,  I  ordered  every  prepa 
ration  to  be  made  to  destroy  the  ship,  after  all  hope  was  gone 
of  saving  her.  On  ascending  the  poop-deck  I  observed  that  the 
enemy's  vessels  had  changed  their  course  and  were  heading  for 
Craney  Island." 

Why  the  Merrimac  did  not  persist  in  destroying  the  Minne 
sota  I  never  exactly  understood.  But  the  reasons  were  satis 
factory  to  her  commander  and  his  officers,  and  to  Captain 
Tucker  ;  and  no  man  who  knewT  this  group  of  highly-distin 
guished  and  gallant  officers  can  doubt  but  that  they  were  suf 
ficient.  Whatever  the  cause,  candor  compels  me  to  say  that  the 
Merrimac  failed  to  reap  the  fruits  of  her  victory.  She  went  out 
to  destroy  the  Minnesota,  and  do  what  further  damage  to  the 
enemy  she  could.  The  Monitor  was  there  to  save  the  Minne 
sota.  The  Merrimac  did  not  accomplish  her  purpose.  The 
Monitor  did.  She  did  it  by  resisting  the  Merrimac  as 
long  as  she  did,  even  if  she  did  have  to  withdraw.  The  Minne 
sota  was  gotten  afloat  that  night  and  towred  below  Old  Point. 
I  suspect  the  Merrimac  was  making  more  water  from  the 
leak  in  her  bow  than  her  officers  were  willing  to  admit.  She 
lost  her  prow  in  ramming  the  Cumberland.  In  reference  to 
ramming  the  Monitor,  Boatswain  Hasker  says  in  his  account : 
"  We  drove  our  stem  apron  in  when  we  struck  the  Monitor, 
which  caused  our  ship  to  leak  ;  which  leak  was  stopped  par 
tially  by  shoving  a  bale  of  oakum  against  the  stem  apron  ;  " 


INJURIES  OF  THE  "  MERRIMA  C."  267 

and  again :  "  in  consequence  of  our  stem  being  twisted,  we 
were  leaking  badly,  and  only  had  time  to  steam  to  Norfolk 
and  get  into  the  dry-dock  by  high  water." 

Captain  Catesby  Ap.  R.  Jones  in  a  letter  to  the  Southern 
Historical  Society  Papers,  says  :  "  The  official  report  says  our 
loss  is  2  killed  and  19  wounded  :  the  stem  is  twisted,  and  the 
ship  leaks  ;  we  have  lost  the  prow,  starboard  anchor,  and  all 
the  boats ;  the  armor  is  somewhat  damaged,  the  steam-pipe 
and  smoke-stack  both  riddled';  the  muzzles  of  two  of  her  guns 
shot  away.  None  were  killed  or  wounded  in  the  fight  with 
the  Monitor.  The  only  damage  she  did  was  to  the  armor.  She 
fired  41  shots.  We  were  enabled  to  receive  most  of  them  ob 
liquely.  The  effect  of  a  shot  striking  obliquely  on  the  shield 
was  to  break  all  the  iron  and  sometimes  to  displace  several 
feet  of  the  outside  course ;  the  wooden  backing  would  not  be 
broken  through.  When  a  shot  struck  directly  at  right  angles 
the  wood  would  also  be  broken  through,  but  not  displaced. 
The  shield  was  never  pierced.  The  ship  was  docked.  A  prow 
of  steel  and  wrought-iron  put  on,  and  a  course  of  2-inch  iron 
on  the  hull  below  the  roof,  extending  in  length  180  ft.  Want 
of  time  and  material  prevented  its  completion.  The  damage 
to  the  armor  was  repaired ;  wrought-iron  port-shutters  were 
fitted,  etc.  The  rifle  guns  were  supplied  with  bolts  of  wrought 
and  chilled  iron.  The  ship  was  brought  a  foot  deeper  in  the 
water,  making  her  draft  23  feet." 

Upon  our  return  to  Norfolk,  which  was  on  Sunday,  March 
9th,  the  whole  city  was  alive  with  joy  and  excitement.  Nothing 
was  talked  of  but  the  Merrimae  and  what  she  had  accom 
plished.  As  to  what  she  could  do  in  the  future,  no  limit  was 
set  to  her  powers.  The  papers  indulged  in  the  wildest  specu 
lations,  and  everybody  went  mad,  as  usual.  At  the  North  the 
same  fever  prevailed.  No  battle  that  was  ever  fought  caused 
as  great  a  sensation  throughout  the  civilized  world.  The 
moral  effect  at  the  North  was  most  marvelous ;  and  even  now 
I  can  scarcely  realize  it.  The  people  of  New  York  and  Wash 
ington  were  in  hourly  expectation  of  the  Merrimac's  appear- 


268       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

ance  off  those  cities,  and  I  suppose  were  ready  to  yield  at  the 
first  summons.  At  the  South  it  was  expected  that  she  would 
take  Fortress  Monroe  when  she  again  went  out.  I  recollect 
trying  to  explain  to  a  gentleman  at  the  time  how  absurd  it 
was  to  expect  this  of  her.  I  told  him  that  she  might  bombard 
Fortress  Monroe  all  day  without  doing  it  any  considerable 
damage ;  that  she  would  get  out  of  ammunition  ;  that  she  car 
ried  but  350  men,  and  could  not  land  a  force  even  if  her  boats 
were  not  shot  away,  though  they  would  be ;  that,  in  fine,  I 
would  be  willing  to  take  up  my  quarters  in  the  casemates 
there  and  let  the  Merrimac  hammer  away  for  a  month, — but 
all  to  no  purpose ;  the  impression  had  been  made  on  him  :  a 
gun  mounted  on  an  iron-clad  must  be  capable  of  doing  more 
damage  than  one  on  a  wooden  vessel.  An  idea  once  fixed 
cannot  be  eradicated :  just  as  we  hear  people  say  every  day 
that  Jackson  at  New  Orleans  defeated  the  veterans  of  Wa 
terloo! 

As  to  the  Merrimac  going  to  New  York,  she  would  have 
foundered  as  soon  as  she  got  outside  of  Cape  Henry.  She 
could  not  have  lived  in  Hampton  Roads  in  a  moderate  sea. 
She  was  just  buoyant  enough  to  float  when  she  had  a  few  days 
coal  and  water  on  board.  A  little  more  would  have  sent  her 
to  the  bottom.  When  she  rammed  the  Cumberland  she  dipped 
forward  until  the  water  nearly  entered  her  bow  port ;  had  it 
done  so  she  would  have  gone  down.  Perhaps  it  was  fortunate 
for  her  that  her  prow  did  break  off,  otherwise  she  might  not 
have  extricated  herself.  I  served  afterward  in  the  Palmetto 
State,  a  vessel  of  similar  construction  to  the  Merrimac,  but 
much  more  buoyant ;  yet  I  have  seen  the  time  when  we  were 
glad  to  get  under  a  lee  even  in  Charleston  harbor.  The  Mer- 
rimac  with  but  a  few  days'  stores  on  board  drew  22  J  feet  water. 
She  could  not  have  gone  to  Baltimore  or  Washington  without 
lightening  her  very  much.  This  would  have  brought  her 
unarmored  hull  out  of  the  water  and  then  she  would  no  longer 
have  been  an  iron-clad !  I  was  not  so  much  surprised  at  the 
extravagant  expectations  of  the  southern  people  who  necessa- 


CAPTAIN  SMITH  AND  LIEUT.  PENDERGRAST.  269 

rily  knew  but  little  of  such  matters ;  but  I  must  say  I  could 
not  have  imagined  the  extent  of  the  demoralization  which  ex 
isted  at  Fortress  Monroe  and  in  the  Federal  fleet  on  the  8th 
and  9th  of  March.  I  have  been  told  by  an  officer  of  high 
rank,  who  was  present  in  the  fort,  that  if  the  Merrimac  had  fired 
a  shot  at  it  on  the  8th  the  general  in  command  would  have 
surrendered  it ;  and,  if  I  am  not  very  much  mistaken,  I  have 
seen  a  dispatch  from  that  general  to  the  effect  that  if  the  Mer 
rimac  passed  Fortress  Monroe  it  must  necessarily  fall !  After 
this  one  can  well  understand  what  Napoleon  has  said  in  refer 
ence  to  the  moral  as  compared  to  the  physical  effect  in  wrar. 

Upon  my  reporting  the  facts  in  relation  to  Captain  Smith  and 
Lieutenant  Pendergrast  a  question  was  raised  as  to  whether 
they  were  not  prisoners  on  parole.  Questions  of  the  kind  were 
crudely  treated  by  our  navy  department.  The  Secretary 
himself  was  ignorant  of  naval  laws,  customs  and  precedents ; 
and  his  immediate  advisers  were  in  the  same  category. 
The  older  officers  who  had  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
whose  experience  gave  them  a  knowledge  of  such  matters, 
were  not  consulted  by  him.  Those  about  the  Secretary 
were  men  who  had  not  seen  much  service  in  war.  It  was 
held  that  Smith  and  Pendergrast  had  escaped,  and  should 
either  deliver  themselves  up  or  refuse  to  serve  until  regu 
larly  exchanged.  I,  on  the  contrary,  insisted  that  they  were 
not  bound  to  do  so.  They  had  been  prisoners  it  is  true — so 
had  every  officer  and  man  of  the  Congress  been ;  but  I  left 
them,  and  after  the  Beaufort  left  the  side  of  the  Congress  they 
had  no  opportunity  of  getting  back  to  her  and  they  escaped 
to  the  shore  as  the  others  did.  The  officers  and  men  of  the 
Confederate  man-of-war  Alabama  escaped,  after  her  capture  by 
the  U.  S.  ship  Kearsarge,  under  precisely  the  same  circum 
stances — the  enemy  failed  to  take  possession  of  them. 

Some  time  after,  when  Pendergrast  was  unfortunate  enough 
to  be  captured  in  the  Water  Witch,  a  question  was  raised  in 
Savannah,  where  he  had  been  taken,  as  to  his  conduct  in 
reference  to  the  Congress  affair.  I  immediately  wrote  to 


270      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Commodore  Tattnall,  commanding  the  station,  completely  ex 
onerating  him  from  any  unofficerlike  or  improper  conduct  on 
that  occasion.  I  justified  his  action  in  every  particular. 
Commodore  Barron  was  a  prisoner  at  the  time  and  if  I  had 
held  Captain  Smith,  could  have  been  exchanged  for  him,  but 
as  I  have  said,  I  did  not  know  it  was  Captain  Smith ;  not 
expecting  to  see  a  senior  officer  to  the  lieutenant  who  said  h3 
'-commanded  the  ship.  No  one  regretted  more  than  I  did  that 
the  result  could  not  have  been  different ;  but  I  should  have 
permitted  him  to  return  to  the  Congress,  under  the  circum 
stances,  if  he  had  combined  in  himself  the  entire  Smith  family. 

Conversing  with  an  "  official "  afterwards,  he  said  it  was  a 
pity  I  had  not  sent  for  pen,  ink  and  paper  at  the  time,  and 
made  them  Lwrite  out  a  written  parole.  Mark  Twain,  in  de 
scribing  a  trip  to  Bermuda,  says  there  was  a  young  man 
on  board  known  as  the  "  Ass,"  and  there  was  also  on  board 
an  old  man,  whom  he  calls  the  "  Ancient,"  who  was  returning 
to  Bermuda  after  an  absence  of  twenty-seven  years.  Upon 
their  arrival  a  faded  old  gentleman  stood  up  before  the  "  An 
cient,"  and  asked  him  if  he  knew  him.  The  "  Ancient,"  after 
hesitating  some  time  said :  "  There's  something  about  you 

that's  just  as  familiar  to  me  as "  "  Likely  it  might  be  his 

hat"  murmured  the  "  Ass,"  with  sympathetic  interest.  "  The 
bearing  of  this  remark  lies  in  the  application  of  it,"  said  Jack 
Bunsby. 

The  Congress  did  not  haul  her  colors  down,  but  hoisted  a 
white  flag.  This  is  unusual  in  naval  warfare.  We  had  the 
right  to  continue  to  fire  on  her  until  she  struck  her  colors, 
[unless  it  had  appeared  that  her  colors  were  nailed  to  the  mast 
and  could  not  be  lowered.  A  white  flag  does  not  necessarily 
imply  a  surrender ;  it  signifies  a  parley.  It  is  used  by  armies 
desiring  to  communicate  and  by  fortresses  preparatory  to 
making  terms ;  but  ships  at  sea  necessarily  surrender  uncon 
ditionally  and  they  do  so  by  lowering  their  colors.  The 
historian  of  the  French  navy,  La  Perouse  de  Bon  Fils,  men 
tions  an  instance  where  a  French  line  of  battle  ship  hoisted  a 


LIEUTENANT  JOS.  B.  SMITH.  271 

white  flag  and  made  terms.     He  says  it  is  the^  only  case  on 
record,  and  I  believe  he  is  correct. 

Midshipman  Mallory  whom  I  first  sent  on  board  the  Congress 
told  me  upon  his  return  that  he  had  seen  the  body  of  her  com 
mander,  Lieutenant  Joseph  B.  Smith,  laid  out  on  the  main  deck. 
Smith  was  a  classmate  of  mine,  and  I  had  last  met  him  in  Rio 
when  I  was  on  iny  return  home  in  the  Merrimac.  I  spent  the 
night  with  him  on  board  the  Congress.  His  character  cannot 
be  better  illustrated  than  by  the  following  incident:  During 
the  fight  of  the  8th  the  authorities  in  Washington  were  kept 
informed  of  the  events  as  they  occurred.  Admiral  Joseph  B. 
Smith  (the  father  of  the  lieutenant)  was  the  chief  of  one  of 
the  departments.  Upon  being  told  that  the  Congress  had  sur 
rendered,  he  replied  :  "  Then  Joe  is  dead !"  Mallory  showed  me 
a  sword  he  had  taken  from  the  Congress,  and  upon  examining 
it  I  found  "  Jos.  B.  Smith  "  engraved  on  the  blade.  With 
Mallory's  consent  I  gave  it  to  Commodore  Tattnall,  who  sent 
it  with  a  kind  letter  to  his  old  shipmate  Admiral  Smith. 

Flag  Officer  Franklin  Buchanan  who  was  promoted  to 
the  grade  of  admiral  for  his  great  services  in  the  Merrimac 
was  too  badly  wounded  to  retain  his  command,  and  Flag 
Officer  Josiah  Tattnall  was  detailed  to  relieve  him. 
Lieutenant  J.  Pembroke  Jones  was  selected  by  Commodore 
Tattnall  as  his  flag  lieutenant  to  succeed  Lieutenant  Robert 
D.  Minor  who  was  also  still  suffering  from  his  wounds.  Com 
modore  Tattnall  entered  the  U.  S.  Navy  in  1812;  served 
in  the  U.  S.  frigate  Constellation  in  the  defence  of  Nor 
folk  in  that  war,  and  distinguished  himself  while  in  command 
of  the  little  steamer  Spitfire  during  the  Mexican  war.  Though 
opposed  to  secession,  he  promptly  resigned  his  commission 
upon  learning  of  the  secession  of  his  native  State,  Georgia.  He 
was  a  striking-looking  man,  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  with,  a 
florid  complexion,  deep-sunk  blue  eyes,  and  a  protruding  under 
lip.  He  was  a  chivalric  gentleman,  of  pure  character  and  un 
tarnished  reputation.  No  man  stood  higher  in  either  the 
United  States  or  Confederate  Navy ;  and  much  was  expected 


272      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

of  him  when  he  assumed  the  command,  which  he  did  on  the 
29th  of  March,  1862.  His  appointment  gave  great  satisfaction 
to  the  entire  squadron ;  and  our  damages  being  now  repaired, 
we  began  to  look  forward  to  another  trial  of  strength  in  Hamp 
ton  Roads. 


PLAN  FOR  BOARDING  THE  "MONITOR."       273 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

DUE  PLAN  FOE  BOARDING  AND  SMOTHERING  THE  "  MONITOR" — THE  MER- 

BIMAC"  CHALLENGES  THE  "MONITOR"  TO  BATTLE WE  CAPTURE  THREE 

VESSELS — OPERATIONS  IN  HAMPTON  ROADS  ON  THE  lllH  OF  APRIL, 
1862 — REMARKS  ON — THE  "MERRIMAC"  DRIVES  THE  VESSELS  EM 
PLOYED  IN  BOMBARDING  SEAWELl/S  POINT  UNDER  THE  GUNS  OF  FORT 

[  MONROE— THE  "MONITOR"  DECLINES  TO  FIGHT  THE  <l  MERRIMAC" — AM 
ORDERED  TO  COMMAND  THE  "  DIXIE " — EVACUATION  OF  NORFOLK  BY 
THE  CONFEDERATES — COMMODORE  JOHN  RODGERS — HIS  ATTACK  ON  DRU- 
RY'S  BLUFF — BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  "  MERRIMAC  " — COMMODORE  TATT- 
NALL'S  REPORT — REFLECTIONS  ON  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THIS  SHIP — 
PILOTS. 

WE  now  knew  something  of  the  Monitor's  construction,  and 
it  was  determined  that  in  the  next  engagement  she  should  be 
boarded,  and  an  attempt  made  to  wedge  the  turret  with  iron 
wedges,  to  throw  hand-grenades  down  the  turret,  and  to  cover 
her  hatchways  and  ventilators  in  the  hope  of  smothering  out 
her  crew.  In  order  that  the  attempt  should  have  every 
chance  for  success  four  gunboats,  of  which  the  Beaufort  was 
one,  were  designated  for  it.  Each  vessel  had  her  crew  divided 
into  the  proper  number  of  parties  so  that  if  even  one  got  along 
side,  every  point  considered  would  receive  proper  attention. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  captains  the  night  before  going  down,  it 
was  resolved  that  in  the  case  of  a  vessel's  being  sunk  in  trying 
to  board,  the  others  should  not  stop  to  pick  up  the  survivors. 
Lieutenant  Commanding  J.  H.  Rochelle  commanded  one  of 
these  gunboats,  and  Lieutenant  Commanding  Hunter  David 
son  another — the  other  captain  I  cannot  recall,  unless  it  was 
Alexander  of  the  Raleigh. 

On  the  llth  of  April,  a  little  over  a  month  after  our  first 
engagement,  the  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Merrimac,  Patrick 


274       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

Henry,  Jamestown,  Teaser,  Beaufort,  and  Raleigh, — with  the 
Harmony  and  another  tug-boat, — went  down  again  to  Hamp 
ton  Roads.  In  Norfolk  the  same  scenes  were  enacted  as  on  the 
previous  occasion — everybody  who  could  get  a  conveyance  went 
to  see  the  fight.  In  the  squadron  we  expected  a  desperate 
encounter.  We  knew  the  Federal  fleet  had  been  largely  rein 
forced.  The  Vanderbilt,  a  powerful  steamship  fitted  expressly 
to  ram  the  Merrimae,  we  expected  to  see  ;  and  also  the  Naug- 
atuck,  a  small  iron-clad  mounting  one  large  rifle  gun.  Upon 
our  arrival  in  the  Roads  we  saw  the  fleet  at  anchor  below  Old 
Point,  with  the  exception  of  the  Naugatuck,  which  vessel  was 
lying,  I  think,  in  Hampton  Creek.  There  were  present  the 
Minnesota,  bearing  the  flag  of  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough,  the 
Monitor,  several  large  frigates,  and  a  large  number  of  smaller 
vessels  and  transports.  The  Vanderbiltwas  not  present  in  the 
morning,  but  arrived  that  afternoon.  We  took  possession  of 
the  roads,  but,  to  our  extreme  surprise,  the  enemy  showed  no 
intention  of  coming  up  to  engage  us  ;  the  vessels  had  steam 
up,  but  made  no  movement  towards  us. 

Three  merchant  vessels  caught  unexpectedly  in  the  Roads 
between  Old  Point  and  Newport's  News  were  run  on  shore  by 
their  masters  and  partially  abandoned.  The  Jamestown  and 
Raleigh  were  sent  to  tow  them  off,  which  service  was  hand 
somely  accomplished  by  Captains  Barney  and  Alexander  under 
the  guns  of  the  enemy.  Their  flags  were  hoisted  Union  down 
under  the  Confederate  flag,  to  taunt  their  protectors  and  induce 
them  to  come  up  and  endeavor  to  retake  them.  It  produced  no 
effect.  An  English  and  a  French  man-of-war  were  present  in 
the  Roads,  and  upon  our  arrival  they  slowly  withdrew  in  the 
direction  of  Newport's  News  out  of  range,  to  witness  the  se 
rious  engagement  which  we,  at  least,  anticipated.  We  passed 
and  repassed  them  frequently  during  the  day,  as  we  steamed 
about  the  Roads  between  Newport's  News  and  Fortress  Monroe, 
and  their  crews  waved  their  hats  and  handkerchiefs  to  us,  and 
no  doubt  would  have  added  their  cheers  if  discipline  had  per 
mitted. 


OPERA  TIONS  IN  HAMPTON  R  OADS.  275 

It  was  our  impression  that  torpedoes  had  been  placed 
in  the  channel  between  Old  Point  and  the  Kip  Raps  to  pre 
vent  the  Merrimac  from  getting  to  York  river,  the  base  of 
General  McClellan's  operations  against  Richmond  It  was 
said  in  Norfolk  just  before  we  went  down  that  a  French  naval 
officer  had  given  this  information.  This  I  do  not  for  a  moment 
believe ;  but  it  was  reasonable  to  suppose  they  would  be  put 
down,  and  when  we  saw  that  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough  did  not 
advance,  we  thought  his  intention  was  to  draw  us  down  on  his 
obstructions.  I  know  that  Commodore  Tattnall  was  under  the 
impression  the  channel  was  in  some  way  obstructed ;  but  even  if 
it  had  not  been,  fighting  the  Federal  fleet  in  the  waters  of  Hamp 
ton  Roads  was  one  thing,  and  fighting  it  close  under  the  guns  of 
Fortress  Monroe  and  the  Rip  Raps,  with  the  additional  danger 
from  torpedoes,  was  another.  He  fairly  offered  the  first,  which 
he  had  every  reason  to  suppose  would  be  eagerly  accepted. 
The  gallant  commodore  made  a  short  address  to  his  men  that 
morning,  and  concluded  by  saying:  "Now  you  go  to  your 
stations,  and  I'll  go  to  mine  ; "  whereupon  he  coolly  seated 
himself  in  an  arm-chair  on  the  upper  deck.  Had  the  enemy 
given  battle  he  would  have  soon  seen  the  difference  between 
the  shooting  of  Mexican  and  American  sailors. 

The  squadron  held  possession  of  the  Roads  and  defied 
the  enemy  to  battle  during  the  entire  day  (and  for  several 
days  after  in  fact)  ;  but  the  Federal  fleet  declined  it,  and 
maintained  its  position  under  the  guns  of  Fortress  Monroe. 
The  Merrimac  passed  the  day  in  slowly  steaming  backwards 
and  forwards  between  Newport's  News  and  Old  Point.  She  re 
minded  me  of  a  huge  centipede  crawling  about.  She  certainly 
did  not  present  an  inviting  appearance.  A  little  before  sunset 
as  she  was  slowly  turning  in  the  channel  for  the  last  time  that 
day  she  fired  a  single  shot  in  the  direction  of  Fortress  Monroe. 
It  was  promptly  replied  to  by  the  Naugatuck.  I  have  reason 
to  recollect  this  shot  from  the  Naugatuck  for  it  was  the  first  of 
the  long-range  guns  I  had  seen.  I  was  talking  to  Hunter 
Davidson  who  was  near  me  hi  his  vessel  when  we  heard  the 


276       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

whistling  of  this  shot  which  dropped  in  the  water  between  us. 
Much  surprised  I  sent  for  my  chart  and  found  the  distance  to 
be  3£  miles.  Long  range  guns  were  then  just  coming  into 
use,  and  caused  Bill  Arp  afterwards  to  explain :  "  Blamed 
if  they  wasn't  shooting  at  me  before  I  knew  they  were  in  the 
county !"  . 

At  sunset  the  squadron  went  in  under  Seawell's  Point.  The 
Merrimac  had  permanent  moorings  placed  there  for  her.  Just 
before  the  signal  was  made  to  go  in  and  anchor,  John  Down- 
ard  wTho  had  succeeded  Robinson  as  captain  of  our  gun  came 
to  me  on  the  part  of  the  crew  with  the  request  that  I  would  go 
to  Newport's  News  and  "  give  them  a  few  rounds."  "  What 
for  ?"  said  I :  "  Why,"  he  replied,  "  they  killed  Jack  Kobinson !" 
I  should  not  have  been  sorry  myself  to  give  them  a  "few 
rounds"  as  he  expressed  it,  but  of  course  could  not  do  so. 
As  the  Monitor  did  not  come  out  we  did  not  have  the  oppor 
tunity  to  board  her  with  the  gunboats.  If  her  turret  was  not 
loop-holed  for  musketry,  and  I  believe  it  was  not,  we  would 
probably  have  captured  her.  Once  on  her  deck  the  men  could 
easily  have  avoided  the  fire  of  her  two  heavy  guns  by  running 
around'the  turret,  and  a  light  sail  thrown  over  it  would  have 
blinded  her  commander  and  helmsman.  At  all  events  we  in 
tended  to  try  it.  A  few  days  after  this  the  squadron  returned 
to  Norfolk ;  the  Merrimac  for  repairs  of  which  she  stood  in 
constant  need  either  to  her  engines  or  hull.  Captain  Catesby 
Jones  says  "  Commodore  Tattnall  commanded  the  Virginia 
Merrimac  45  days  of  which  time  there  were  only  13  days  that 
she  was  not  in  dock  or  in  the  hands  of  the  navy  yard." 

On  the  8th  of  May,  only  two  days  before  we  evacuated  Norfolk, 
while  the  Merrimac  was  at  the  navy  yard  Flag  Officer  Goldsbo- 
rough  took  advantage  of  her  absence  to  come  above  Old  Point 
with  the  Monitor  and  a  number  of  other  vessels  and  bombard 
Seawell's  Point.  When  the  news  was  telegraphed  to  Norfolk  the 
Merrimac  cast  off  her  fasts  and  steamed  down  the  harbor.  As 
soon  as  her  smoke  was  seen  the  entire  Federal  fleet  fled  below 
Old  Point  again,  and  was  pursued  by  the  Merrimac  until  under 


"MONITOR"   WILL  NOT  FIGHT  " MERRIMAC:'  277 

the  guns  of  Fortress  Monroe.     There  is  no  doubt  about  the 
truth  of  this. 

If,  as  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough  said  in  his  report  of 
this  affair:  "she  (the  Merrimac)  did  not  place  herself 
where  she  could  be  assailed  by  his  rams  to  advantage," 
what  did  she  go  down  for  ?  Where  could  a  vessel  drawing 
23  feet,  as  the  Merrimac  did  then,  place  herself  so  that  "  the 
Baltimore,  an  unarmed  steamer  of  light  draft,"  could  not  get  at 
her  ?  The  flag  officer  says  (the  italics  are  mine)  :  "  The  Monitor 
was  kept  well  in  advance,  and  so  that  the  Merrimac  could  have 
engaged  her  without  difficulty  had  she  been  so  disposed ;  but 
she  declined  to  do  it,  and  soon  returned  and  anchored  under 
Sea  well's  Point."  Returned  from  where?  How  could  she 
return  and  anchor  under  SeawelPs  Point,  when  the  Federal 
fleet  was  bombarding  Sea  well's  Point  ?  Well  may  the  German 
cynic  exclaim : 

"  When  first  on  earth  fair  Truth,  was  born, 
She  crept  into  a  hunting-horn ; 
The  hunter  came,  the  horn  was  blown, 
And  where  Truth  went  was  never  known !" 

From  the  facts  I  have  stated,  it  is  clear  that  after  the  battle 
of  the  9th  of  March  the  Monitor  several  times  declined  to  fight 
the  Merrimac,  and  only  ventured  above  Old  Point  when  she 
knew  the  Merrimac  was  at  Norfolk.  Upon  the  appearance  of 
the  latter  in  Hampton  Roads  she  would  retire  under  the  guns 
ot  Fortress  Monroe.  I  can  find  nothing  in  the  Federal  reports 
in  relation  to  what  I  have  said  of  the  occurrence  in  the  roads 
on  the  llth  of  April.  If  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough  made  a 
report  it  has  been  suppressed  :  but  as  to  the  truth  of  my  state 
ment,  I  am  willing  to  abide  by  the  log-book  of  the  Minnesota 
for  that  day,  and  the  testimony  of  the  officers  of  the  Monitor. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  cast  any  imputations  upon  Flag  Of 
ficer  Goldsborough  and  his  gallant  officers.  I  have  been  told 
since  the  war  that  the  Government  had  given  positive  orders 
that  the  Monitor  should  not  fight  the  Merrimac  unless  forced 


278        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

to  do  so.  I  only  mention  what  came  under  my  own  observa 
tion,  not  doubting  that  the  orders  issued  by  the  Government 
were  based  upon  good  grounds. 

On  the  12th  of  April  I  was  detached  from  the  Beaufort  and 
ordered  to  command  the  Dixie,  a  new  vessel  just  built  at 
Graves'  ship-yard  in  Norfolk,  and  fitting  out  at  the  Navy 
Yard.  She  was  a  pretty  model  and  I  think  would  have  been 
fast.  Her  sister  ship,  which  was  about  in  the  same  state  of 
preparation,  was  commanded  by  Captain  John  Rutledge. 

We  commenced  early  in  May  to  hear  something  of  the  pro 
bable  evacuation  of  Norfolk.  The  Patrick  Henry,  Jamestown, 
Teaser,  Beaufort  and  Raleigh  were  sent  up  the  James  river  to 
operate  on  the  right  flank  of  General  Magruder's  army, 
then  falling  back  in  the  direction  of  Richmond.  The 
Nansemond  and  Hampton,  two  gunboats  built  at  the  navy 
yard,  were  completed  at  this  time  and  sent  to  Richmond. 
These  vessels  had  saw-mill  engines,  and  when  they  got  under 
weight  there  was  such  a  wheezing  and  blowing  that  one  would 
have  supposed  all  hands  had  suddenly  been  attacked  with  the 
asthma  or  heaves.  They  ran  by  the  batteries  at  Newport's 
News  however  without  waking  the  sentinels  up.  Rutledge  and 
I  did  our  best  to  get  our  vessels  ready  so  that  we  might  follow 
their  example ;  but  the  engines  were  not  prepared  and  there 
was  nothing  left  at  the  yard  to  tow  us  up.  While  preparations 
were  being  made  by  the  army  to  evacuate  the  city,  the  captain 
of  a  small  steamer  in  the  quartermaster's  employ  ran  off  with 
his  vessel  to  Old  Point  and  gave  the  information.  This  was 
on  the  9th  of  May,  and  precipitated  matters.  I  was  staying 
on  board  the  receiving  ship  Oermantown  at  the  time,  and  on 
the  night  of  the  9th  we  heard  firing.  Some  of  the  midshipmen 
went  aloft  into  the  main  top  and  saw  shells  bursting  in  the 
direction  of  Willpughby's  Point,  about  7  miles  distant.  This 
was  about  9  p.  M.,  and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  enemy 
were  shelling  the  beach  preparatory  to  landing  a  force.  I  went 
to  the  house  of  Captain  Sidney  Smith  Lee,  then  commanding 
the  yard,  to  report  the  fact.  I  found  him  about  retiring.  He 


COMMODORE  JOHN  RODGERS-  279 

said  he  did  not  think  it  probable ;  that  he  had  heard  nothing 
from  General  Huger,  &c — he  rather  laughed  at  the  idea.  I 
left  him  about  11  o'clock,  and  so  satisfied  was  I  of  a  "call" 
that  I  threw  myself  on  my  bed  without  undressing.  Sure 
enough  at  daybreak  we  were  all  called  to  the  commandant's 
office  and  given  our  orders  in  reference  to  evacuating  the  navy 
yard.  We  set  fire  to  the  buildings  and  ships,  and  tried  to 
blow  up  the  dry  dock ;  in  fact  destroyed  everything  we  could. 
I  set  my  vessel  on  fire  with  much  regret ;  a  few  more  days  and 
she  would  have  been  ready  to  go  to  Richmond.  We  continued 
the  work  of  destruction  until  we  heard  the  Federal  troops 
were  in  Norfolk,  and  then  took  our  departure  in  the  cars  for 
Weldon  where  we  arrived  the  same  evening  at  8  o'clock.  I 
went  to  Henderson  for  a  day  or  two,  and  then  proceeded  to 
Richmond,  arriving  there  on  the  15th — the  day  Commodore 
John  Rodgers  attacked  the  fort  at  Drury's  bluff  with  the 
Galena,  Monitor,  Naugatuck,  Port  Royal  and  Aroostook,  and 
was  beaten  off.  The  gallant  commodore,  who  was  noted  for 
his  fighting  qualities,  handled  the  Galena  to  perfection  on  this 
occasion,  and  I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  a  few  extracts 
from  the  narrative  of  boatswain  Hasker  who  commanded  a 
gun  at  the  fort : 

"  The  attack  upon  Drury's  Bluff  (or  Fort  Darling,  as  the 
enemy  called  it,)  was  on  the  part  of  the  Galena,  I  think  one 
of  the  most  masterly  pieces  of  seamanship  of  the  whole  war. 
She  was  brought  into  action  in  the  coolest  manner ;  indeed, 
she  was  brought  to,  and  sprung  across  the  channel  in  a  much 
more  masterly  way  than  I  have  often  seen  at  mere  target 
practice.  She  steamed  up  to  within  seven  or  eight  hundred 
yards  of  the  bluff,  let  go  her  starboard  anchor,  ran  out  the 
chains,  put  her  head  in  shore,  backed  astern,  let  go  her  stream 
anchor  from  the  starboard  quarter,  hove  ahead,  and  made 
ready  for  action  before  firing  a  gun.  I  could  not  but  admire 
this  mano3uvre  although  executed  to  bring  death  or  wounds 
to  so  many  of  my  brave  comrades.  A  six-inch  gun,  33  cwt. 
32-pounder,  [63  cwt.  ?]  which  had  been  rifled  and  banded  at 


280      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

the  Gosport  Navy  Yard,  did  more  damage  to  the  Galena  than 
all  the  rest  of  the  guns  on  the  bluff  combined.  This  gun  was 
manned  by  the  crew  from  the  Jamestown" 

Considering  the  result  of  Rodgers'  attack  on  Fort  Darling, 
and  the  fact  that  Richmond  did  not  fall  till  two  years  later, 
one  cannot  but  be  amused  at  reading  the  following  extract 
from  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough's  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  under  date  from  Hampton  Roads,  May  12,  1863: 

"  The  Monitor  and  Stevens  have  both  gone  up  the  James 
river,  with  orders  from  me  to  reduce  all  the  works  of  the 
enemy  as  they  go  along,  spike  all  their  guns,  blow  up  all 
their  magazines,  and  then  get  up  to  Richmond,  all  with  the 
least  possible  delay,  and  shell  the  city  to  a  surrender.  With 
the  above  works  reduced,  I  can  keep  our  vessels  supplied 
with  coal,  ordnance  stores,  provisions,  etc.,  without  difficulty." 

When  David  Copperfield  gave  a  dinner,  his  landlady  said 
"  what  she  would  recommend  would  be  this  :  A  pair  of  roast 
fowls — from  the  pastry-cook's ;  a  dish  of  stewed  beef— from 
the  pastry-cook's ;  two  little  corner  things — from  the  pastry 
cook's  ;  a  tart  and  a  shape  of  jelly — from  the  pastry-cook's." 
"  This,"  Mrs.  Crupp  said, "  would  leave  her  at  full  liberty  to  con 
centrate  her  mind  on  the  potatoes,  and  to  serve  up  the  cheese 
and  celery  as  she  could  wish  to  see  it  done." 

"  Ay  me !  what  perils  do  environ 
The  man  that  meddles  with  cold  iron." 

On  the  10th  of  May,  (the  day  we  evacuated  Norfolk) 
the  Merrimac  was  lying  at  her  moorings  off  Sea  well's  Point, 
and  Commodore  Tattnall  who  had  not  expected  the  evacua 
tion  so  soon  was  taken  by  surprise.  Why  he  was  not  "  sig 
nalled"  I  do  not  know.  Observing  that  the  flag  was  not 
flying  at  Seawell's  Point  battery  he  dispatched  his  Flag 
Lieutenant,  Pembroke  Jones,  to  Norfolk  for  news.  Lieu 
tenant  Jones  returned  at  7  P.  M.  with  the  information  that  the 
city  was  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy.  In  his  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  dated  Richmond,  May  14,  1862,  the 
commodore,  after  mentioning  this,  goes  on  to  say : 


BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  " MERRIMAC."          281 

"  It  was  now  7  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  this  unexpected 
information  rendered  prompt  measures  necessary  for  the  safety 
of  the  Virginia.  The  pilots  had  assured  me  that  they  could 
take  the  ship,  with  a  draft  of  eighteen  feet,  to  within  forty 
miles  of  Richmond.  This,  the  chief  pilot  Mr.  Parrish,  and 
his  chief  assistant,  Mr.  Wright,  had  asserted  again  and  again ; 
and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  7th,  in  my  cabin,  in  the  presence 
of  Commodore  Hollins  and  Captain  Sterrett,  in  reply  to  a 
question  of  mine,  they  both  emphatically  declared  their  ability 
do  so.  Confiding  in  these  assurances,  and  after  consulting 
with  the  First  and  Flag  Lieutenants  and  learning  that  the 
officers  generally  thought  it  the  most  judicious  course,  I  deter 
mined  to  lighten  the  ship  at  once  and  run  up  the  river  for  the 
protection  of  Richmond.  All  hands  having  been  called  on 
deck,  I  stated  to  them  the  condition  of  things,  and  my  hope 
that  by  getting  up  the  river  before  the  enemy  could  be  made 
aware  of  our  design  we  might  capture  his  vessels  which  had 
ascended  it,  and  render  efficient  aid  in  the  defence  of  Rich 
mond  ;  but  that  to  effect  this  would  require  all  their  energy  in 
lightening  the  ship.  They  replied  with  three  cheers,  and  went 
to  work  at  once. 

The  pilots  were  on  deck  and  heard  this  address  to  the  crew. 
Being  quite  unwell,  I  had  retired  to  bed.  Between  one  and 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  First  Lieutenant  reported  to 
me  that  after  the  crew  had  worked  for  five  or  six  hours  and 
lifted  the  ship  so  as  to  render  her  unfit  for  action,  the  pilots 
had  declared  their  inability  to  carry  eighteen  feet  above  the 
Jamestown  flats,  up  to  which  point  the  shore  on  each  side  was 
occupied  by  the  enemy.  On  demanding  from  the  chief  pilot, 
Mr.  Parrish,  an  explanation  of  this  palpable  deception,  he  re 
plied  that  eighteen  feet  could  be  carried  after  the  prevalence 
of  easterly  winds,  but  that  the  wind  for  the  last  two  days  had 
been  westerly.  I  had  no  time  to  lose.  The  ship  was  not  in  a 
condition  for  battle  even  with  an  enemy  of  equal  force,  and 
their  force  was  overwhelming.  I  therefore  determined  with 
the  concurrence  of  the  First  and  Flag  Lieutenants,  to  save 


282      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

the  crew  for  future  service  by  landing  them  at  Craney  Island, 
the  only  road  for  retreat  open  to  us,  and  to  destroy  the  ship 
to  prevent  her  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  I  may 
add  that,  although  not  formally  consulted,  the  course  was  ap 
proved  by  every  commissioned  officer  in  the  ship.  There  was  no 
dissenting  opinion.  The  ship  was  accordingly  put  on  shore 
as  near  the  main  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Craney  Island  as  pos 
sible  and  the  crew  landed.  She  was  then  fired,  and  after  burn 
ing  fiercely  fore  and  aft  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  blew  up  a 
little  before  five  on  the  morning  of  the  llth.  We  marched 
for  Suffolk,  22  miles,  and  reached  it  in  the  evening,  and  from 
thence  came  by  railroad  to  this  city. 

It  will  be  asked  what  motive  the  pilots  could  have  had  to 
deceive  me.  The  only  imaginable  one  is,  that  they  wished  to 
avoid  going  into  battle.  Had  the  ship  not  been  lifted,  so  as 
to  render  her  unfit  for  action,  a  desperate  contest  must  have 
ensued  with  a  force  against  us  too  great  to  justify  much  hope 
of  success  ;  and,  as  battle  is  not  their  occupation,  they  adopted 
this  deceitful  course  to  avoid  it.  I  cannot  imagine  another 
motive,  for  I  had  seen  no  reason  to  distrust  their  good  faith  to 
the  Confederacy. 

My  acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  First  Lieutenant,  Ap. 
Catesby  Jones  for  his  untiring  exertions,  and  for  the  aid  he  ren 
dered  me  in  all  things.  The  details  for  firing  the  ship  and 
landing  the  crew  were  left  to  him,  and  everything  was  con 
ducted  with  the  most  perfect  order.  To  the  other  officers  of 
the  ship,  generally,  I  am  also  thankful  for  the  great  zeal  they 
displayed  throughout.  The  Virginia  no  longer  exists,  but  three 
hundred  brave  and  skillful  officers  and  seamen  are  saved  to  the 
Confederacy. 

I  presume  that  a  court  of  inquiry  will  be  ordered  to  examine 
all  the  circumstances  I  have  mentioned,  and  I  earnestly  solicit 
it.     Public  opinion  will  never  be  put  right  without  it." 
I  am,  sir,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOSIAH  TATTNALL, 

HON.  S.  R.  MALLORY,  Flag  Officer  Commanding. 

Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


REFLECTIONS  ON  ITS  DESTRUCTION.          283 

The  blowing  up  of  the  Merrimac  caused  a  howl  to  go  up 
from  the  whole  Confederate  States,  and  Commodore  Tattnall 
had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  it.  What  the  people  expected  her  to 
do  after  the  evacuation  of  Norfolk,  God  only  knows ;  but  her 
destruction  dispirited  our  people  from  Virginia  to  Texas.  Sup 
pose  the  Merrimac  had  gone  up  the  river  to  Harrison's  bar, 
what  could  she  have  accomplished  there  ?  She  certainly  could 
not  have  prevented  the  enemy's  ships  from  passing  and  repass- 
ing  her  at  night.  Our  vessels  used  to  run  by  the  batteries  at 
Newport's  News  without  the  least  trouble,  and  they  could  bring 
many  guns  to  bear,  while  the  Merrimac  had  but  five  in  broad 
side.  The  result  so  far  as  I  can  see  would  have  been  that  in 
less  than  a  month  her  boats  would  have  been  shot  away  by  the 
enemy's  ships  at  long  range,  and  she  would  have  found  herself 
out  of  provisions ;  the  banks  of  the  river  on  both  sides  in 
possession  of  the  enemy ;  iron-clads  and  gunboats  above  and 
below  her ;  all  communication  cut  off  from  Richmond, — she 
would  have  been  in  fact  in  the  position  of  a  besieged  fortress. 
The  alternative  would  then  have  been  to  surrender  the  ship,  or 
blow  her  up  with  all  hands  on  board.  Some  people  said  the 
latter  should  have  been  done ;  but  I  do  not  remember  that  we 
blew  up  any  forts  with  their  garrisons  to  prevent  their  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  fact  is  the  evacuation  of 
Norfolk  involved  the  ultimate  loss  of  the  Merrimac;  because 
it  cut  her  off  from  supplies  of  all  kinds— ammunition  as  well 
as  provisions.  This  point  does  not  seem  to  have  been  properly 
appreciated  by  the  Confederate  authorities.  It  was  only  a 
question  of  time.  Commodore  Tattnall  should  have  clearly 
presented  this  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  made  him 
assume  the  responsibility — perhaps  he  did  represent  it.  The 
Merrimac  might  have  gone  to  York  river,  and  would  doubtless 
have  inflicted  some  damage  there  by  destroying  transports, 
&c. ;  but  she  had  not  men  enough  to  attempt  to  land  a  force, 
and  some  cool  head  would  soon  have  discovered  that  it  was 
only  necessary  to  knock  away  her  boats  and  then  keep  out  of 
her  way  and  await  the  action  of  time. 


284      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

This  is  the  view  I  always  took  of  this  matter,  and  I  remember 
when  it  was  rumored  Norfolk  was  to  be  evacuated  I  asked 
one  of  the  commodore's  advisers  to  suggest  to  him  the  propriety 
of  his  putting  the  question  fairly  to  the  Confederate  Secretary 
of  the  Navy :  "  What  am  I  to  do  with  the  Merrimac"  and  in 
sisting  upon  a  written  reply.  The  crew  of  the  Merrimac  arrived 
at  Drury's  bluff  in  time  to  assist  in  the  defence  of  Richmond 
on  the  15th  of  May. 

One  important  point  I  will  allude  to  before  closing  this 
chapter,  and  that  is  that  in  our  naval  battles  the  com 
manding  officers  were  in  a  measure  in  the  hands  of  the 
pilots.  On  the  ocean  the  captain  handles  his  own  ship 
and  relies  upon  his  own  judgment ;  but  it  is  far  different  when 
battles  occur  on  sounds  and  rivers — there  the  pilot  becomes  an 
important  agent.  I  suppose  there  was  not  a  commander  on 
either  side  who  did  not  find  himself  crippled  by  his  pilots  at  some 
time  in  his  experience.  When  the  Minnesota  was  aground  the 
pilots  could  not  place  the  Merrimac  nearer  than  a  mile  from 
her.  The  Minnesota,  too,  drawing  as  much  water  as  the  Mer 
rimac.  Why  if  the  Minnesota  was  a  mile  from  the  channel 
she  must  have  been  up  among  the  sand  hills  on  the  main. 
When  the  Minnesota,  Roanoke  and  St.  Lawrence  started  to  the 
assistance  of  their  consorts  they  all  three  got  aground.  Who 
put  them  there?  Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Roanoke 
island  where  I  had  my  first  experience  with  pilots,  I  saw  the 
necessity  of  taking  some  steps  towards  having  an  organized 
body  of  them  attached  to  the  navy.  I  called  Mr.  Mallory's 
attention  to  it,  and  proposed  that  pilots  should  be  divided  into 
two  classes  and  given  a  commission  if  they  desired  it.  Their 
pay  was  to  be  very  large,  and  in  the  case  of  their  being  killed 
in  action  their  widows  were  to  receive  a  pension.  We  could 
hardly  expect  men  who  were  receiving  very  moderate  pay  and 
for  whose  families  no  provision  was  made  in  case  of  their  death 
to  stand  in  the  most  exposed  place  in  a  ship  in  time  of  battle, 
as  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  do  if  they  did  their  duty  well. 
My  proposition  was  never  acted  upon.  I  do  not  mean  to  say 


PILOTS.  285 

that  the  pilots  did  not  do  good  service  in  the  war  afterwards. 
They  did.  I  saw  many  of  them  who  performed  their  duties 
well  and  bravely,  notwithstanding  their  small  pay.  What  I 
mean  to  say  is  that  the  southern  pilots,  as  a  class,  were  not 
properly  fostered  and  cared  for  by  their  government. 


286      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

AM  ORDERED  TO  COMMAND  THE  GUNBOAT  "DRURY" — THE  JAMES  RIVER 
SQUADRON — THE  SEVEN  DAYS'  FIGHTING  AROUND  RICHMOND— A  BOARD 
FOR  THE  EXAMINATION  OF  MIDSHIPMEN — AM  ORDERED  TO  THE  IRON 
CLAD  "  PALMETTO  STATE "  AT  CHARLESTON— DESCRIPTION  OF  HER— AN 
INCIDENT — A  FIRE  AT  SEA — FLAG  OFFICER  DUNCAN  L.  INGRAHAM  — 
BATTLE  OFF  CHARLESTON,  JANUARY  31,1863,  BETWEEN  THE  CONFEDER 
ATE  IRON-CLADS  AND  THE  FEDERAL  FLEET— SURRENDER  OF  THE  "  MER- 
CEDITA  "  AND  "  KEYSTONE  STATE  " — THE  OTHER  VESSELS  DRIVEN  OFF — 
PROCLAMATION  OF  GENERAL  BEAUREGARD  AND  COMMODORE  INGRAHAM 
— REMARKS  UPON  THIS  ENGAGEMENT  AND  ITS  RESULTS. 

UPON  my  arrival  in  Richmond,  May  15,  1862, 1  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  gunboat  Drury,  then  on  the  James  river. 
She  was  a  kind  of  an  iron-clad,  with  no  steam-power.  She 
mounted  one  large  rifle  gun  forward,  protected  by  an  iron 
shield  in  the  form  of  a  V.  She  was  intended  to  fight  bows  on, 
and  was  fitted  up  very  hastily  to  assist  in  the  defence  of  Dru- 
ry's  Bluff,  in  the  case  of  another  attack  by  water.  Her  engines 
were  put  in  a  few  months  afterwards  and  the  shield  removed. 

The  fiver  had  been  obstructed  abreast  of  Drury 's  Bluff  by 
sinking  vessels,  and  cages  loaded  with  stone.  Among  the  vessels 
sunk  was  the  steamer  Jamestown,  whose  crew,  under  the  brave 
Barney,  had  rendered  such  good  service  at  the  bluff  oh  the  15th. 
The  squadron  at  this  time  was  commanded  by  Commodore 
French  Forrest,  and  consisted  of  the  Richmond  (iron-clad), 
Patrick  Henry,  Nansemond,  Hampton,  Beaufort,  Raleigh  and 
Drury.  The  Richmond  was  just  completed,  and  was  a  fine 
vessel  built  on  the  plan  of  the  Merrimac.  She  was  not 
so  large,  and  her  ends  were  not  submerged.  She  carried 
a  bow  and  stern  pivot,  and  two  guns  in  broadside.  Drury's 
Bluff  was  strongly  fortified,  and  garrisoned  by  marines 


SEVEN  DAYS'  FIGHTING  AROUND  RICHMOND.  287 

under  Captain  Sims.  The  post  was  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  Sidney  Smith  Lee,  an  elder  brother  of  General  Robert 
E.  Lee.  A  few  miles  lower  down,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  at  Chapin's  Bluff,  was  another  heavy  battery  com 
manded  by  Captain  T.  J.  Page  of  the  navy. 

The  enemy,  under  General  McClellan,  was  advancing  up 
the  peninsula  to  attack  Richmond ;  and  the  Confederacy  was 
assembling  all  the  troops  possible  to  defend  it.  On  the 
31st  of  May  was  fought  the  indecisive  battle  of  Seven  Pines, 
or  Fair  Oaks  as  the  Federals  called  it;  and  on  the  25th 
of  June  the  Confederates,  under  General  Lee,  made  their 
first  attack  on  General  McClellan's  forces  at  Mechanicsville. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  seven  days'  fighting  around 
Richmond,  which  resulted  in  General  McClellan's  army  being 
driven  to  Harrison's  Landing,  on  the  James  river,  and  relieved 
Richmond  from  all  danger.  Shortly  after  these  battles,  Gen 
eral  Lee  advanced  in  the  direction  of  Maryland,  and  the  Fed 
eral  troops  were  called  to  the  defence  of  their  own  capital. 

Mr.  Mallory,  our  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  ordered  a  Board 
for  the  examination  and  classification  of  the  midshipmen  in 
the  Navy,  and  I  was  detailed  as  a  member  of  it.  Commodore 
George  N.  Hollins  was  the  president,  and  the  other  members 
of  it  were  Captains  C.  McBlair  and  Thorburn  and  Lieutenant 
Myers.  We  sat  at  first  in  Richmond  for  the  examination  of 
the  midshipmen  serving  in  the  James  river  squadron  and  the 
different  batteries,  and  then  went  to  Charleston,  Savannah  and 
Mobile.  We  returned  to  Richmond  and  finished  up  our  work. 
This  Board  did  good  work  both  for  the  Navy  and  the  mid 
shipmen.  The  secretary  promoted  all  those  who  passed  to 
the  grade  of  passed  midshipman,  and  it  would  have  been  better 
if  some  of  these  young  gentlemen  had  been  at  once  promoted 
to  be  lieutenants  instead  of  those  who  were  taken  from  civil 
life,  and  who  did  not  know  a  ship  when  they  saw  one.  While 
in  Charleston  on  this  duty  I  noticed  two  iron-dads  building, 
which  .struck  me  favorably ;  and  my  friend  John  Rutledge 
telling  me  he  was  to  have  the  command  of  one  of  them,  I 


288        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

offered  to  give  up  my  command  on  the  James  river  and  go 
with  him  as  his  executive  officer.  I  did  this  as  I  saw  there 
would  be  no  fighting  on  the  James  river  for  some  time  to 
come,  and  I  thought  there  was  an  opportunity  to  strike  a  "blow 
at  Charleston.  There  were  then  no  iron-clads  off  that  harbor. 
Kutledge  held  me  to  my  word,  and  in  the  fall  of  1862  I  was 
detached  from  the  Drury  and  ordered  to  report  to  Flag  Officer 
Duncan  L.  Ingraham,  at  Charleston,  for  duty  as  executive 
officer  of  the  iron-clad  Palmetto  State,  Captain  John  Rutledge. 
The  Chicora,  her  sister  ship,  was  commanded  by  my  comrade 
Captain  John  R.  Tucker. 

The  Palmetto  State  was  an  iron-clad  on  the  plan  of  the 
Merrimac,  except  that  her  ends  were  not  submerged,  and  her 
side  plating  was  turned  down  at  the  water's  edge,  making 
what  we  called  a  knuckle,  and  very  strong.  I  think  her 
plating  was  of  four  and  a  half  inches  of  iron.  Her  roof,  or 
upper  deck,  and  her  ends  outside  the  shield  were  covered  on 
top  with  two  inches  of  iron,  and  her  hatchways  were  covered 
with  heavy  iron  gratings.  Her  pilot  "house,  which  was 
heavily  armored,  was  abaft  the  smoke  stack.  Her  arma 
ment  consisted  of  an  80-pounder  Brooke  rifle  gun  forward, 
a  60-pounder  rifle  gun  aft,  and  two  8-inch  shell  guns  in 
broadside — four  guns  in  all.  Her  engines  always  worked 
well,  and  under  favorable  circumstances  she  would  go  seven 
knots  per  hour,  though  her  average  speed  was  about  six. 
She  drew  fourteen  feet  of  water,  and  worked  and  steered 
well.  The  Chicora  was  similar  in  all  respects,  except  that 
she  had  but  4-inch  iron,  I  think.  These  two  vessels  were 
built  at  private  ship-yards  in  Charleston,  and  great  rivalry 
existed  between  them  as  to  which  should  turn  out  the  best 
ship.  Both  were  well-built,  creditable  vessels.  All  their 
arrangements  were  good,  magazines,  shell-rooms,  quarters,  etc., 
all  admirably  arranged. 

When  these  two  vessels  had  been  in  commission  a  short 
time,  they  were  fine  specimens  of  men-ofwar  and  would 
have  done  credit  to  any  navy.  They  were  well  officered  and 


A  FIRE  AT  SEA.  289 

manned.  Their  drill  at  both  great  guns  and  small  arms  was 
excellent,  and  the  discipline  perfect.  They  were  the  cleanest 
iron-clads,  I  believe,  that  ever  floated,  and  the  men  took  great 
pride  in  keeping  them  so.  Their  fire  drill  was  good,  as  I  have 
reason  to  remember,  for  the  Palmetto  State  caught  fire  one 
morning  in  the  fore-hold,  adjoining  the  magazine.  I  was 
dressing  at  the  time,  when  I  heard  a  running  about,  and  im 
mediately  became  conscious  that  "  something  was  the  matter." 
I  hurried  on  my  coat,  and  just  then  heard  the  cry :  "  There's 
fire  in  the  magazine ! "  Thinks  I  to  myself,  "  if  that  be  the 
case  we  will  very  soon  hear  of  it,"  as  Lord  Howe  once  said 
under  similar  circumstances.  I  sprang  up  on  the  deck  and  had 
the  fire-bell  rung,  and  every  man  and  officer  went  promptly 
to  his  station.  The  fire-party  went  below,  and  discovered  the 
place  of  fire,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  it  was  suppressed. 

Speaking  of  a  fire  so  near  the  magazine,  I  was  some  years 
after  this  placed  in  a  situation  so  very  peculiar,  that  I  may  be 
pardoned  for  introducing  it  here.  I  doubt  if  ever  a  man 
found  himself  in  the  same  situation :  After  the  war  I  entered 
the  service  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  and  for 
six  years  commanded  one  of  their  steamers  running  between 
San  Francisco  and  Panama.  July  1st,  1873,  I  left  Panama 
for  San  Francisco  in  the  steamship  Montana,  with  about  fifty 
cabin  and  four  hundred  steerage  passengers,  and  a  large 
freight.  All  went  well  until  the  evening  of  the  seventh  day, 
when  I  found  myself  130  miles  from  Acapulco,  Mexico,  which 
place  I  expected  to  reach  the  next  morning  at  8.  It  was  a 
dark  night  and  raining  at  intervals,  but  there  was  not  much 
wind.  The  ship  was  well  clear  of  the  Tartar  Shoal  and  there 
was  nothing  to  cause  any  uneasiness.  I  remained  up,  as  was  my 
custom,  until  midnight,  and  then  gave  the  second  mate,  who  had 
the  mid-watch,  the  written  orders  for  the  night.  I  turned  in, 
and  was  soon  asleep.  I  was  awakened  by  the  officer  of  the  deck 
calling  me.  Upon  my  replying,  he  said  in  a  calm  manner : 
"  Captain  Parker,  the  ship  is  on  fire."  "  What  time  is  it  ?  "  I 
asked  "  Twenty  minutes  past  three,"  he  replied.  I  then  asked 
13 


290        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

where  the  ship  was  on  fire,  and  he  told  me  it  was  in  the  forward 
store-room,  where  I  knew  the  oils  and  paints  were  kept.  He 
asked  if  he  should  ring  the  fire-bell,  tut  I  told  him  no; 
I  thought  we  might  extinguish  it  without  letting  the  passen 
gers  know  anything  about  it.  All  this  time  I  was  rapidly 
dressing,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  and  in  a  minute  from  the 
time  I  was  called  I  was  out  on  deck.  As  soon  as  I  reached 
it  I  saw  the  smoke  coming  up  the  fore-hatch,  and  the  steerage 
passengers  rushing  up  in  great  alarm.  I  ordered  the  fire-bell 
rung,  stopped  the  engine,  and  turned  the  ship  so  as  to  bring 
the  wind  aft.  The  men  were  well  drilled  and  soon  every  man 
was  at  his  station.  The  steerage  passengers  were  all  sent  aft 
on  the  hurricane  deck,  and  made  to  sit  down  flat  on  deck ;  offi 
cers  were  placed  over  them  and  they  remained  quietly  so 
until  the  fire  was  extinguished.  The  cabin  passengers  re 
mained  in  the  saloon  in  charge  of  the  purser  and  doctor.  We 
soon  had  eight  good  streams  of  water  forward,  and  I  scuttled 
the  deck  in  several  places  over  the  store-room,  and  put  the 
pipes  down.  Two  or  three  pipes  were  turned  down  the  open 
hatchway,  but  the  fumes  arising  from  the  burning  paints  were 
so  stifling  that  the  men  could  not  remain  more  than  a  few 
minutes  at  a  time.  There  was  no  flinching  on  their  part,  how 
ever, — quite  the  contrary ;  as  soon  as  a  man  was  hauled  up, 
half-suffocated,  others  were  eager  to  take  his  place.  After 
working  some  fifteen  minutes  in  this  way,  seeing  that  the 
flames  were  apparently  getting  the  advantage  of  us,  and 
knowing  that  if  the  hurricane  deck  caught  fire  we  would  burn 
up  very  rapidly,  I  sent  for  the  second  mate  and  boatswain 
and  directed  them  to  lower  the  boats  near  the  water's  edge, 
but  to  allow  no  one  to  get  into  them.  We  carried  about 
one  hundred  pounds  of  powder  in  a  copper  tank,  in  the 
magazine,  which  was  just  under  the  store-room.  It  could  be 
filled  with  water  by  turning  a  cock.  Sending  for  the  first 
officer  I  told  him  to  drown  the  magazine.  He  replied  in  a 
low  tone,  that  it  was  useless  to  do  so,  as  the  powder  had  not 
been  returned  to  the  magazine,  but  was  in  the  store-room. 


A  FIRE  AT  SEA.  291 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  said  I,  "  that  it  is  in  the  fire  /"  "Yes, 
sir,"  said  he,  "  it  is." 

I  reflected.  If  it  became  known  that  the  powder  was  in  the 
store-room  there  would  be  a  stampede ;  if,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  exploded  and  blew  the  bows  of  the  ship  out,  there  would 
necessarily  be  great  loss  of  life.  I  stuck  to  my  original  reso 
lution  to  put  the  fire  out.  I  had  always  impressed  it  upon  my 
crew  that  if  my  ship  caught  fire,  it  must  be  put  out.  I  had  no 
faith  in  the  custom  of  putting  on  all  steam  and  heading  for 
the  shore.  I  knew  that  that  of  itself  caused  a  panic ;  that, 
moreover,  the  fire  was  fanned  up  and  swept  aft,  endangering 
the  lives  of  the  cabin  passengers  ;  and  that  the  boats  could  not 
be  lowered  with  the  ship  running  at  full  speed.  My  idea  was 
that  if  the  passengers  had  to  be  put  in  the  boats,  it  could  be 
better  done  eight  miles  from  the  shore  than  in  the  breakers 
after  the  ship  grounded. 

So  I  spoke  but  a  few  words  to  my  men  now.  I  said,  "  We 
are  men  enough  to  handle  this  fire,  and  we  must  do  it."  They 
wanted  no  encouragement,  and  at  the  end  of  an  hour  we  had 
it  under.  As  soon  as  a  man  could  breathe  in  the  store-room, 
the  powder-tank  was  passed  up  to  me.  It  was  so  hot  you 
could  not  put  your  bare  hand  upon  it.  My  first  impulse  was 
to  order  the  mate  to  throw  it  overboard ;  but  I  thought  for  a 
moment,  and  then  directed  him  to  put  it  in  his  state-room.  I 
knew  it  would  not  explode  then,  and  as  we  had  gotten  so  well 
out  of  the  scrape,  determined  to  take  the  matter  coolly.  The 
steerage  passengers  were  now  sent  forward  again,  given  a 
cup  of  coffee,  and  advised  to  turn  in  for  a  morning  nap. 
We  started  the  engine  ahead  at  5  o'clock,  and  at  9  made 
fast  to  our  buoy  at  Acapulco.  We  poured  an  immense  quan 
tity  of  water  into  the  ship  during  the  fire,  but  as  we  kept  the 
donkey-engine  at  work  pumping  it  out  as  it  ran  aft,  our  cargo 
was  not  damaged. 

On  this  occasion  I  had  a  Chinese  crew,  with  a  Chinese  boat 
swain.  The  leading  men,  quarter-masters  and  firemen  were 
white,  and  they  showed  the  others  the  example.  It  shows  what 


292      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

effect  that  will  have, — for  the  Chinese  were  the  only  ones  en 
gaged  in  putting  out  the  fire  who  knew  the  powder  was  in  the 
store-room.  Yet  they  stuck  to  their  posts.  The  first  officer, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  powder  was  kept  in  the  ma 
gazine,  had  been  very  negligent  of  his  duty.  He  would  have 
been  dismissed  the  service  had  it  not  been  for  his  courageous 
conduct  during  the  fire.  I  reported  to  the  agent,  that  al 
though  he  had  neglected  his  duty  in  the  case — probably 
through  forgetfulness — yet  he  had  exhibited  during  the  fire 
the  highest  traits  of  an  officer,  and  I  thought  he  should  be  re 
tained.  As  for  the  conduct  of  the  passengers,  I  never  knew 
which  deserved  the  most  credit — they  or  my  crew.  The  cause 
of  the  fire  was  spontaneous  combustion,  probably  from  oiled 
rags  in  the  paint-room. 

To  return  to  the  Palmetto  State.  One  drill  I  introduced  on 
board  her,  to  which  I  attached  much  importance.  Every  offi 
cer  and  man  had  his  appointed  port  or  hatch  to  escape  by  in 
case  of  the  vessel's  suddenly  sinking — say  by  the  explosion  of 
a  torpedo.  The  first  men  who  reached  the  deck  immediately 
took  off  the  iron  gratings,  without  waiting  to  be  told.  At  the 
order,  "  clear  the  ship,"  all  hands  would  assemble  on  the  roof 
in  less  than  a  minute.  We  never  went  to  general  quarters  that 
I  did  not  try  this  ;  and  as  I  say,  in  less  than  a  minute,  the 
men  from  the  magazine,  shell-room,  fire-room,  everywhere, 
would  be  out  on  deck.  There  were  a  good  many  sailor-men 
in  our  crew,  and  we  managed  to  put  them  in  uniform  and  keep 
them  provided  with  clothing.  Occasionally  we  got  a  man  from 
the  army, — and  we  kept  a  bathing  arrangement  on  the  wharf, 
where  all  recruits  were  bathed  and  their  clothes  well  boiled 
before  being  allowed  to  come  on  board,  for  obvious  reasons. 
Both  vessels  were  painted  a  pale  blue  or  bluish-grey,  the 
blockade  runners  having  demonstrated  that  it  was  the  most 
difficult  to  be  distinguished.  Before  going  into  action  we 
greased  the  shield  with  slush,  as  the  Merrimae  had  done  at 
Hampton  Roads.  Our  officers  in  the  Palmetto  State  were :  Cap 
tain  John  Rutledge ;  Lieutenants  Parker,  Porcher,  Shryock 


FLAG  OFFICER  DUNCAN  L.  INGRAHAM.       293 

and  Bowen ;  Surgeon  Lynah ;  Paymaster  Banks ;  Engineer 
Campbell ;  Master  Chew  ;  Midshipmen  Gary,  Sevier  and  Ham 
ilton.  We  had  a  good  boatswain  and  gunner,  and  a  crew  of 
about  120  men. 

The  Palmetto  State  bore  the  flag  of  Commodore  Duncan 
L.  Ingraham,  who  commanded  the  station.  He  was  known 
as  the  hero  of  the  Koszta  affair.  Koszta  was  a  Hungarian 
refugee,  who,  when  in  the  United  States  in  1850,  had  declared 
his  intention  of  becoming  an  American  citizen,  and  went  through 
the  preliminary  forms.  June  21,  1853,  being  in  Smyrna, 
he  was  seized  by  a  boat's  crew  from  the  Austrian  brig  Huzzar. 
Captain  Ingraham,  who  was  present  in  the  sloop-of-war 
St.  Louis,  of  20  guns,  demanded  his  release  by  a  certain  time, 
and  prepared  to  attack  the  Huzzar  on  the  2nd  of  July.  Koszta 
was  then  given  up,  and  he  afterwards  returned  to  the  United 
States.  Captain  Ingraham  was  much  commended  by  his  Gov 
ernment  for  his  prompt  and  decisive  action.  He  entered  the  U. 
S.  Navy  in  1812,  being  then  but  nine  years  of  age.  He  served 
in  the  frigate  Congress,  under  Captain  Smith.  He  told  me 
that  they  were  at  sea  9  months  without  going  into  port.  They 
made  a  few  prizes,  but  were  not  fortunate  enough  to  fall  in 
with  any  of  the  British  frigates.  It  was  considered  an  unlucky 
cruise,  and  the  Congress  got  the  name  of  being  an  unlucky 
ship.  Commodore  Ingraham  commanded  the  brig  Somers 
until  just  before  the  war  with  Mexico.  During  the  war  he 
served  for  a  time  on  Commodore  Conner's  Staff.  He  was  a 
delicate-looking  man,  of  intelligence  and  culture,  and  bore  the 
reputation  of  being  a  brave  and  good  officer.  He  is  still 
living. 

By  January,  1863,  the  vessels  being  all  ready,  we  com 
menced  to  think  of  making  some  demonstration,  and  it  was 
decided  to  attack  the  fleet  off  Charleston  on  the  night  of  the 
30th.  The  enemy's  fleet  off  the  harbor  on  that  night  con 
sisted  of  the  Housatonie,  Mereedita,  Keystone  State,  Quaker  City, 
Augusta,  Flag,  Memphis,  Stettin,  Ottawa  and  Unadilla.  Of 
these,  the  Housatonie,  Ottawa  and  Unadilla  were,  I  think,  the 


294      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

only  regularly-built  men-of-war ;  the  others  being  converted 
merchant  steamers, — some  paddles,  the  others  screws.  Captain 
Taylor,  of  the  Housatonic,  was  the  senior  officer  of  the  blockading 
force.  Admiral  Dupont,  who  commanded  the  station,  wras  at 
this  time  at  Port  Royal  with  the  iron-clad  New  Ironsides,  the 
frigate  Wabash  and  the  steamships  Susquehanna,  Canandaigua 
and  some  others. 

About  10  P.  M.,  January  30th,  Commodore  Ingraham 
came  on  board  the  Palmetto  State,  and  at  11.30  the  two  vessels 
quietly  cast  off  their  fasts  and  got  underweigh.  There 
was  no  demonstration  on  shore,  and  I  believe  few  of  the 
citizens  knew  of  the  projected  attack.  Charleston  was  full  of 
spies  at  this  time,  and  everything  was  carried  to  the  enemy. 
It  was  nearly  calm,  and  a  bright  moonlight  night, — the  moon 
being  11  days  old.  We  went  down  very  slowly,  wishing  to 
reach  the  bar  of  the  main  ship  channel,  11  miles  from  Charles 
ton,  about  4  in  the  morning,  when  it  would  be  high  water  there. 
Commander  Hartstene  (an  Arctic  man  who  rescued  Kane  and 
his  companions),  was  to  have  followed  us  with  several  unarmed 
steamers  and  50  soldiers  to  take  possession  of  the  prizes  ;  but, 
for  some  reason  they  did  not  cross  the  bar.  We  steamed 
slowly  down  the  harbor  and,  knowing  we  had  a  long  night 
before  us,  I  ordered  the  hammocks  piped  down.  The  men 
declined  to  take  them,  and  I  found  they  had  gotten  up  an 
impromptu  Ethiopian  entertainment.  As  there  was  no  neces 
sity  for  preserving  quiet  at  this  time  the  captain  let  them  en 
joy  themselves  in  their  own  way.  No  men  ever  exhibited  a 
better  spirit  before  going  into  action ;  and  the  short,  manly 
speech  of  our  captain  convinced  us  that  we  were  to  be  well 
commanded  under  any  circumstances.  We  passed  between 
Forts  Sumter  and  Moultrie — the  former  with  its  yellow  sides 
looming  up  and  reflecting  the  moon's  rays — and  turned  down 
the  channel  along  Morris  Island.  I  presume  all  hands  were 
up  in  the  forts  and  batteries  watching  us,  but  no  word  was 
spoken.  After  midnight  the  men  began  to  drop  off  by  twos 
and  threes,  and  in  a  short  time  the  silence  of  death  prevailed. 


SURRENDER  OF  THE  "MERCEDITA."  295 

I  was  much  impressed  with  the  appearance  of  the  ship  at  this 
time.  Visiting  the  lower  deck,  forward,  I  found  it  covered 
with  men  sleeping  in  their  pea-jackets  peacefully  and  calmly ; 
on  the  gun-deck  a  few  of  the  more  thoughtful  seamen  were 
pacing  quietly  to  and  fro,  with  folded  arms ;  in  the  pilot-house 
stood  the  Commodore  and  Captain,  with  the  two  pilots  ;  the 
midshipmen  were  quiet  in  their  quarters  (for  a  wonder),  and 
aft  I  found  the  lieutenants  smoking  their  pipes,  but  not  con 
versing.  In  the  ward-room  the  surgeon  was  preparing  his  in 
struments  on  the  large  mess-table  ;  and  the  paymaster  was,  as 
he  told  me,  "  lending  him  a  hand." 

As  we  approached  the  bar,  about  4  A.  M.,  we  saw  the  steamer 
Mercedita  lying  at  anchor  a  short  distance  outside  it.  I  had 
no  fear  of  her  seeing  our  hull ;  but  we  were  burning  soft  coal, 
and  the  night  being  very  clear,  with  nearly  a  full  moon,  it  did 
seem  to  me  that  our  smoke,  which  trailed  after  us  like  a  huge  black 
serpent,  must  be  visible  several  miles  off.  We  went  silently  to 
quarters,  and  our  main-deck  then  presented  a  scene  that  will 
always  live  in  my  memory.  We  went  to  quarters  an  hour  be 
fore  crossing  the  bar,  and  the  men  stood  silently  at  their  guns. 
The  port-shutters  were  closed,  not  a  light  could  be  seen  from 
the  outside,  and  the  few  battle-lanterns  lit  cast  a  pale,  wierd 
light  on  the  gun-deck.  My  friend  Phil.  Porcher,  who  com 
manded  the  bow-gun,  was  equipped  with  a  pair  of  white  kid 
gloves,  and  had  in  his  mouth  an  unlighted  cigar.  As  we 
stood  at  our  stations,  not  even  whispering,  the  silence  became 
more  and  more  intense.  Just  at  my  side  I  noticed  the  little 
powder-boy  of  the  broadside  guns  sitting  on  a  match-tub,  with 
his  powder-pouch  slung  over  his  shoulder,  fast  asleep,  and  he 
was  in  this  condition  when  we  rammed  the  Mercedita.  We 
crossed  the  bar  and  steered  directly  for  the  Mercedita.  They 
did  not  see  us  until  we  were  very  near.  Her  captain  then 
hailed  us,  and  ordered  us  to  keep  off  or  he  would  fire.  We 
did  not  reply,  and  he  called  out,  "  You  will  be  into  me."  Just 
then  we  struck  him  on  the  starboard  quarter,  and  dropping 
the  forward  port-shutter,  fired  the  bow  gun.  The  shell  from 


296        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

it,  according  to  Captain  Stellwagen  who  commanded  her,  went 
through  her  diagonally,  penetrating  the  starboard  side, 
through  the  condenser,  through  the  steam-drum  of  the  port 
boiler,  and  exploded  against  the  port  side  of  the  ship,  blowing 
a  hole  in  its  exit  four  or  five  feet  square.  She  did  not  fire  a 
gun,  and  in  a  minute  her  commander  hailed  to  say  he  surren 
dered.  Captain  Rutledge  then  directed  him  to  send  a  boat 
alongside.  When  I  saw  the  boat  coming  I  went  out  on  the 
after-deck  to  receive  it.  The  men  in  it  were  half-dressed,  and 
as  they  had  neglected  to  put  the  plug  in  when*  it  was  lowered, 
it  was  half  full  of  water.  We  gave  them  a  boat-hook  to  sup 
ply  the  place  of  the  plug,  and  helped  to  bail  her  out. 

Lieutenant  T.  Abbott,  the  executive  officer  of  the  Mer- 
cedita,  came  in  the  boat.  I  conducted  him  through  the 
port  to  the  presence  of  Commodore  Ingraham.  He  must 
have  been  impressed  with  the  novel  appearance  of  our  gun 
deck ;  but  his  bearing  was  officer-like  and  cool.  He  reported 
the  name  of  the  ship  and  her  captain,  said  she  had  128  souls 
on  board  and  that  she  was  in  a  sinking  condition.  After  some 
delay  Commodore  Ingraham  required  him  to  "  give  his  word  of 
honor,  for  his  commander,  officers  and  crew,  that  they  would 
not  serve  against  the  Confederate  States  until  regularly  ex 
changed."  This  he  did — it  was  a  verbal  parole.  He  then 
returned  to  his  ship. 

In  the  meantime  the  Chicora,  under  her  dashing  com 
mander,  had  passed  us  and  had  become  warmly  engaged,  and  we 
in  the  Palmetto  State  were  most  impatient  to  be  off.  We  were 
ready  to  exclaim  with  Horace : 

"  E'en  whilst  we  speak,  the  envious  Time 

Doth  make  swift  haste  away  ; 
Then  seize  the  Present,  use  thy  Prime, 
Nor  trust  another  Day." 

We  rammed  the  Mercedita  at  4.30  A.  M.,  and  lost  much 
valuable  time  while  the  commodore  was  deciding  what  to  do 
with  her  officers  and  men.  Our  chance  for  making  a  great 


THE  OTHER  VESSELS  DRIVEN  OFF.  297 

success  lay  in  taking  advantage  of  the  darkness.  We  knew 
that  when  day  came  the  enemy  would  see  they  were  con 
tending  with  iron-clads,  and  would  refuse  battle — and  we  with 
our  inferior  speed  could  not  force  it.  We  finally  stood  out  to 
the  eastward  and  engaged  the  Quaker  City,  Memphis,  and  some 
other  vessels,  as  they  came  up,  but  they  sheered  off  as  soon  as 
they  felt  the  weight  of  our  metal.  When  day  broke  I  got  a 
chance  to  get  up  on  the  spar-deck.  I  first  looked  astern  for 
the  Mercedita,  and  not  seeing  her,  asked  our  pilot  where  she 
was.  He  said  she  must  have  sunk ;  and  that  was  the 
general  impression  on  board ;  but  I  knew  she  was  not  in  deep 
water,  and  seeing  no  masts  sticking  up,  "  I  had  my  doubts." 

The  fact  is  we  did  not  ram  her  quite  hard  enough.  The 
panic  on  board  her  caused  by  the  shell  from  our  bow-gun  was 
at  first  so  great  that  they  thought  she  was  sinking.  One  boiler 
being  emptied  caused  her  to  heel  over,  I  suppose ;  but  as  we 
stood  out  to  engage  the  enemy  to  the  eastward,  they  got  matters 
to  rights,  and  finally  went  off  to  Port  Royal  where  she  arrived 
safely.  (But  this  we  learned  afterwards). 

Tucker,  in  the  Chicora,  as  we  rammed  the  Mercedita,  passed 
us  to  starboard  and  soon  became  warmly  engaged  with  the 
Keystone  State,  which  vessel  came  gallantly  into  action,  with 
the  intention  to  run  the  Chicora  down.  She  soon  received  so 
much  damage  as  to  cause  her  to  surrender  by  striking  her 
colors. 

As  related  to  me  by  the  officers  of  the  Chicora  the  next  day, 
the  Keystone  State  struck  her  flag  and  they  were  about  lower 
ing  a  boat  to  take  possession  of  her.  Lieutenant  Bier,  the  execu 
tive  officer,  observed  that  she  was  moving  off  by  working  her 
off  wheel  and  called  Captain  Tucker's  attention  to  it.  The 
lieutenants  begged  the  captain  to  renew  the  fire ;  but  he  not 
expecting  any  deception  or  treachery  hesitated  to  fire  on  a  ship 
with  her  colors  down  ;  and  in  a  little  while  Captain  Leroy  who 
commanded  the  Keystone  State  hoisted  his  colors  again,  renewed 
his  fire  and  escaped.  He  was  soon  after  taken  in  tow  by  the 
U.  S.  steamer  Memphis  and  carried  to  Port  Royal. 

13* 


298       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Captain  Tucker  in  his  official  report,  dated  the  same  day,  in 
relation  to  this  matter  says :  "  We  then  engaged  a  schooner- 
rigged  propeller  and  a  large  side-wheel  steamer,  partially  crip 
pling  both,  and  setting  the  latter  on  fire,  causing  her  to  strike 
her  flag.  At  this  time  the  latter  vessel,  supposed  to  be  the 
Keystone  State,  was  completely  at  my  mercy,  I  having  a  raking 
position  astern  distant  some  200  yards.  I  at  once  gave  the 
order  to  cease  firing  upon  her,  and  directed  Lieutenant  Bier, 
first  lieutenant  of  the  Chicora,  to  man  a  boat  and  take  charge 
of  the  prize ;  if  possible  to  save  her,  if  that  was  not  possible  to 
rescue  her  crew.  While  the  boat  was  in  the  act  of  being 
manned  I  discovered  that  she  was  in  the  act  of  endeavoring  to 
escape  by  working  her  starboard  wheel,  the  other  being  dis 
abled.  Her  colors  being  down  I  at  once  started  in  pursuit 
and  renewed  the  engagement.  Owing  to  her  superior  steam 
ing  qualities  she  soon  wddened  the  distance  to  some  two 
hundred  yards.  She  then  hoisted  her  flag  and  commenced 
firing  her  rifled  gun ;  her  commander  by  this  faithless  act 
placing  himself  beyond  the  pale  of  civilized  and  honorable 
warfare." 

In  his  official  report  to  Admiral  Dupont,  dated  same  day, 
Captain  Leroy.  does  not  mention  the  fact  of  his  having  struck 
his  colors ;  but  an  extract  from  the  log  of  his  vessel  says : 
"About  6.17  A.  M.  a  shell  entering  on  the  port  side  forward  of 
the  forward  guard  destroyed  the  steam  chimneys,  filling  all  the 
forward  part  of  the  ship  with  steam.  The  port  boiler  emptied 
of  its  contents,  the  ship  gave  a  heel  to  starboard  nearly  down 
to  the  guard,  and  the  water  from  the  boiler,  and  two  shot  holes 
under  water  led  to  the  impression  the  ship  was  filling  and  sink 
ing,  a  foot  and  a  half  water  being  reported  in  the  hold.  Owing 
to  the  steam  men  were  unable  to  get  supplies  of  ammunition 
from  forward.  Ordered  all  boats  ready  for  lowering.  Signal 
books  thrown  overboard,  also  some  small  arms.  The  ram 
being  so  near,  and  the  ship  helpless,  and  the  men  being  slaught 
ered  by  almost  every  discharge  of  the  enemy,  I  ordered  the 
colors  to  be  hauled  down,  but  finding  the  enemy  were  still 


THE  OTHER   VESSELS  DRIVEN  OFF.  299 

firing  upon  us  directed  the  colors  to  be  re-hoisted,  and  resume 
our  fire  from  the  after  battery." 

The  vessels  in  our  vicinity  having  put  off  under  all  steam  to 
the  southward,  our  two  vessels  stood  to  the  northward  and  east 
ward  to  meet  the  vessels  coming  from  that  direction.  We  ex 
changed  a  few  shots  with  the  Homatonic  at  very  long  range, 
but  she  soon  also  withdrew.  Commodore  Ingraham  in  his  re 
port  says :  "  I  then  stood  to  the  northward  and  eastward,  and 
soon  after  made  another  steamer  getting  underweigh.  We 
stood  for  her  and  soon  after  fired  several  shots  at  her,  but  as 
we  had  to  fight  the  vessel  in  a  circle  to  bring  the  different 
guns  to  bear,  she  was  soon  out  of  our  range.  In  this  way  we 
engaged  several  vessels,  they  keeping  at  long  range,  and  steer 
ing  to  the  southward.  Just  as  the  day  broke  we  made  a  large 
steamer  (supposed  to  be  the  Powhatan)  on  the  starboard  bow, 
with  another  steamer  in  company,  which  had  just  got  under 
weigh.  They  stood  to  the  southward  under  full  steam,  and 
opened  their  batteries  upon  the  Chicora,  which  was'  some  dis 
tance  astern  of  us.  I  then  turned  and  stood  to  the  southward 
to  support  the  Chicora,  if  necessary,  but  the  enemy  kept  on  his 
course  to  the  southward."  (The  italics  are  mine.)  "  I  then 
made  signal  to  Commander  Tucker  to  come  to  an  anchor,  and 
led  the  way  to  the  entrance  to  Beach  channel,  where  we  an 
chored  at  8.45  A.  M.,  and  had  to  remain  seven  hours  for  the 
tide,  as  the  vessels  cannot  cross  the  bar  except  at  high  water." 
The  commodore  took  the  Housatonic  to  be  the  Powhatan — 
the  Powhatan  was  at  Port  Royal  that  day. 

We  anchored  off  Sullivan's  island,  as  the  commodore  says ; 
the  enemy's  ships  had  all  gone  off  to  the  eastward,  and  south 
ward  and  eastward.  It  was  useless  to  pursue  with  our  inferior 
speed, — and  they  very  wisely  declined  fighting  iron-clads  with 
wooden  ships.  The  enemy's  ships  went  off  to  the  southward  and 
eastward,  and  there  they  remained,  hull  down,  for  the  remainder 
of  the  forenoon  ;  their  masts  could  be  seen  by  using  the  spyglass. 
The  Housatonic  a-nd  some  others  some  time  during  the  •  after 
noon  took  up  a  position  more  to  the  eastward,  but  remained 
a  long  distance  off. 


300      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

Soon  after  we  anchored  some  of  the  foreign  consuls  were 
brought  off  to  show  them  that  the  blockade  had  been  raised, 
and  General  Beauregard  and  Commodore  Ingraham  issued  a 
proclamation  to  that  effect,  I  thought  the  "  proclamation " 
ill-advised.  The  fact  is  that  during  the  entire  war  the  south 
ern  people  attached  too  much  importance  to  the  recognition  of 
the  Confederacy  by  the  English  Government.  Many  thought 
that  a  recognition  amounted  to  a  declaration  of  war  against 
the  United  States,  and  that  England  and  France  would  be 
come  our  allies.  Entirely  too  much  sentiment  wras  wasted  on 
this  subject. 

Admiral  Dupont  and  his  officers  found  fault  with  the  pro 
clamation  and  bitterly  resented  it.  The  captains  of  the  vessels 
drew  up  a  joint  letter,  denying  pretty  much  everything, — but 
they  confounded  a  newspaper  statement  with  the  terms  of  the 
proclamation.  The  proclamation  said  :  "  At  about  the  hour 
of  5  o'clock  this  morning  (January  31, 1863),  the  Confederate 
States  naval  forces  on  this  station  attacked  the  United  States 
blockading  fleet  off  the  harbor  of  the  city  of  Charleston  and 
sunk,  dispersed,  or  drove  off  and  out  of  sight  for  the_time  the 
entire  hostile  fleet." 

Now  as  we  supposed  the  Mercedita  was  sunk  at  the  time 
this  was  written,  and  as  the  fleet  was  certainly  dispersed  and 
driven  off,  I  cannnot  see  what  great  objection  there  could  be 
taken  to  the  wording.  The  point  in  question  was  as  to  whether 
the  fleet  had  been  driven  entirely  out  of  sight.  I  have  already 
given  my  recollection  of  it.  Captain  Tucker  in  his  report 
says :  "  We  pursued  them  six  or  seven  miles  seaward ; "  and 
again :  "  At  7.30  A.  M.,  in  obedience  to  orders,  we  stood  in 
shore  leaving  the  partially  crippled  fleeing  enemy  about  seven 
miles  clear  of  the  bar,  standing  to  the  southward  and  east 
ward." 

While  still  outside  the  bar,  and  with  the  foreign  consuls  on 
board,  Commodore  Ingraham  penned  the  following  dispatch 
which  was  carried  to  Charleston  by  their  boat  and  telegraphed 
to  Richmond : 


PROCLAMATION  OF  COMMODORE  INGRAHAM.  301 

"  On  board  the  '  Palmetto  State,' 
January  31, 1863. 

"  I  went  out  last  night.  This  vessel  struck  the  Mercedita 
when  she  sent  a  boat  and  surrendered.  The  officers  and  crew 
have  been  paroled.  Captain  Tucker  thinks  he  sunk  one 
vessel  and  set  another  on  fire,  when  she  struck  her  colors. 
The  blockading  fleet  has  gone  to  the  southward  and  eastward 

out  of  sight. 

D.  N.  INGRAHAM. 

Flag  Officer  Commanding." 

Captain  "Wm.  Rogers  Taylor  of  the  Housatonic  was  the 
senior  officer  of  the  blockading  fleet,  and  the  letter  of  the 
captains  seems  to  have  been  based  upon  his  report  and  the 
remarks  in  that  vessel's  log  book. 

Captain  Taylor  says  (the  italics  are  mine)  :  "  I  now  deter 
mined  to  go  to  my  former  station  to  pick  up  the  anchor,  but 
was  unable  to  get  hold  of  any  landmarks,  on  account  of  the  haze 
over  the  shore,  until  about  3  o'clock.  I  would  state  that  at  no 
period  from  daylight  up  to  that  time  had  the  land  been  anywhere 
distinctly  visible.  On  approaching  my  anchorage  the  two  rams 
were  seen  lying  in  Maffit's  channel,  close  to  the  shore,  some 
distance  to  the  northward  and  eastward  of  Fort  Moultrie." 

The  Housatonic,  however,  did  not  anchor,  as  her  log  shows. 
Here  are  some  extracts  (italics  mine) : 

"  From  8  to  meridian.  At  8  A.  M.  secured  the  battery.  The 
two  enemy's  steamers  out  of  sight  towards  Fort  Sumter ;  it  being 
very  hazy  around  the  horizon,  could  not  see  into  the  harbor." 

"  At  11  A.  M.  the  haze  cleared  sufficiently  to  enable  us  to 
see  Fort  Sumter,  but  we  could  not  see  into  the  harbor." 

"  Waiting  for  the  haze  to  clear  to  run  in  and  pick  up  our 
anchor.  During  the  watch  the  following  steamers  communi 
cated  with  us  viz. ;  United  States  steamers  Quaker  City,  Au 
gusta,  Flag,  Stettin  and  Unadilla." 

"  From  meridian  to  4  p.  M.  Ship  lying  off  and  on  in  five 
fathoms  water." 

"  From  4  to  6  P.  M.     Ship  underweigh  all  the  watch." 


302       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

"  From  6  to  8  P.  M.  Ship  underweigh,  lying  to ;  head  east- 
southeast." 

I  do  not  think  the  letter  of  Colonel  Leckler  helps  the 
captains'  case  much  in  reference  to  the  distance  the  vessels 
were  driven  off — he  says :  "  By  the  aid  of  a  glass  a  fort  said  to 
have  been  Sumter  was  visible !"  The  fact  is  the  captains  in 
their  letter  to  Admiral  Dupont  attempted  to  prove  too  much. 
I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  insert  it  here.  It  can  be  found 
in  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy's  report  for  1863,  and  I  am  will 
ing  to  place  their  statement  and  my  narrative  in  the  hands  of 
any  unprejudiced  man  and  abide  by  his  decision  in  the  case — 
" what  we  want,"  said  Mr.  Gradgrind,  " are  facts"  It  will  be 
observed  that  all  the  Federal  officers  speak  of  the  haze ;  they 
say  "  a  thick  haze  was  prevailing ;"  Colonel  Leckler  says : 
"  The  morning  was  somewhat  hazy."  My  recollection  is  that 
it  was  a  very  clear  day,  and  the  night  was  one  of  the  brightest 
I  ever  remember.  Still  there  may  have  been  a  haze  over  the 
land  as  seen  from  their  vessels  outside.  An  analysis  of  the 
reports  on  both  sides,  taken  in  connection  with  my  own  recol 
lection,  convinces  me  that  the  following  were  the  facts :  After 
day  broke,  the  Federal  vessels  retreated  to  the  southward  and 
eastward  and  southward,  until  they  were  hull  down  as  seen  from 
the  decks  of  our  ships ;  the  rams  gave  up  the  pursuit,  their  slow 
speed  rendering  it  impossible  to  overtake  the  enemy;  they 
anchored  off  Sullivan's  island  to  await  the  afternoon's  tide ; 
during  the  afternoon  the  Federal  vessels  took  up  a  position 
more  to  the  northward,  where  they  remained  at  a  distance  of 
eight  or  ten  miles  watching  our  movements — it  being  a  case 
where  "  distance  lent  enchantment  to  the  view,"  for  no  man 
can  blame  them  for  not  fighting  two  heavily  armored  iron 
clads  with  their  wooden  vessels. 

It  is  rather  singular  that  the  reports  of  the  captains 
of  the  Quaker  City,  Augusta,  Flag  and  Stettin  are  not  to 
be  found  in  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy's  report  with  the 
others.  The  Charleston  papers  said :  "  The  British  consul 
with  the  commander  of  the  British  war  steamer  Petrel 


EEMARKS  UPON  THE  ENGAGEMENT.  303 

had  previously  gone  five  miles  beyond  the  usual  anchorage  of 
the  blockaders  and  could  see  nothing  of  them  with  their  glasses." 
I  do  not  understand  that  General  Beauregard  and  Flag  Officer 
Ingraham  endorsed  this  foolish  statement  in  their  proclamation. 
The  Petrel  was  not  there.  In  this  engagement  the  Federals 
lost  4  killed  and  3  wounded  on  the  Mercedita,  and  21  killed 
and  19  wounded  on  the  Keystone  State;  total  killed  and  wounded 
47,  and  two  of  their  vessels  surrendered,  but  afterwards  escaped 
to  Port  Royal.  Our  vessels  were  not  even  hit,  and  we  had  no 
casualties  to  report. 

At  4  P.  M.  we  got  underweigh  and  returned  to  Charleston 
by  the  Beach  channel,  and  were  honored  with  salutes  from 
Forts  Moultrie,  Beauregard  and  Sumter,  and  the  acclamations 
of  the  citizens  of  Charleston  :  but  I  candidly  confess  I  did  not 
participate  in  the  general  joy.  I  thought  we  had  not  accom 
plished  as  much  as  we  had  a.  right  to  expect.  As  we  entered 
the  harbor,  the  Federal  vessels  closed  in  towards  their  old  sta 
tions  and  resumed  the  blockade.  It  would  not  have  been  pru 
dent  for  us  to  remain  outside  the  bar  during  the  night,  as  in 
case  of  a  blow  the  vessels  would  have  foundered.  As  to  the 
proclamation  in  regard  to  the  blockade  being  broken,  I  looked 
upon  it  as  all  bosh.  No  vessels  went  out  or  came  in  during 
the  day,  except  our  own  river  boats.  Our  only  chance  of  any 
great  success  lay  in  a  surprise  under  cover  of  the  night.  After 
ramming  the  Mercedita,  we  should  have  remained  a  little  out 
side  and  near  her  with  the  Chicora ;  then,  as  the  enemy's  ves 
sels  came  up  in  succession,  we  should  have  captured  them : 
which  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  we  would  have  done.  When  a 
vessel  struck,  she  should  have  been  directed  to  run  in  and  an 
chor  near  the  Mercedita.  By  adopting  this  plan  I  think  we 
would  have  retained  the  Mercedita  and  Keystone  State,  and 
probably  have  captured  in  addition  the  Quaker  City,  Augusta 
and  Memphis.  By  that  time  daylight  would  have  revealed  to  the 
other  ships  "what  manner  of  men"  they  were  contending 
against,  and  the  fight  would  have  ended.  We  could  have  sent 
our  prizes  in  by  the  main  ship  channel,  and  returned  ourselves 


304        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

in  the  afternoon  by  either  channel.  I  am  constrained  to  say 
that  this  was  a  badly  managed  affair  on  our  part,  and  we  did 
not  make  the  best  use  of  our  opportunity. 

I  think  it  was  on  the  evening  of  the  next  day  that  the  Brit 
ish  steamer  Petrel  came  in.  Her  executive  officer  came  on 
board  the  Palmetto  State,  and  told  us  of  the  safe  arrival  of  the 
Mercedita  at  Port  Royal.  Our  fellows  said  nothing  ;  but,  like 
the  Irishman's  parrot,  "they  kept  up  a  devil  of  a  thinking." 

A  question  arose  as  to  the  status  of  Captain  Stellwagen  and 
the  Mercedita.  It  was  truly  an  exceptional  case.  We  claimed 
that  he  paroled  the  ship  wyith  her  crew ;  and  that  she  should 
be  given  up  to  us.  My  opinion  was,  and  is,  that  the  officers 
and  men,  being  paroled,  could  not  be  recaptured.  They  were 
in  honor  bound  not  to  serve  until  regularly  exchanged  ;  and  I 
have  heard  that  Captain  Stellwagen  held  the  same  opinion. 
With  the  vessel  it  was  different ;  she  had  been  captured,  but 
not  taken  possession  of;  she  could,  therefore,  be  recaptured. 
Attempts  were  afterwards  made  by  both  governments  to 
compare  the  case  of  Captain  Stellwagen  and  his  officers  to  that 
of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Alabama  when  captured  by  the 
Kearsarge.  The  cases  were  not  at  all  similar.  The  Mercedita  s 
officers  and  men  were  paroled  prisoners.  Those  of  the  Ala 
bama  were  captured,  but  not  taken  possession  of.  Their  case 
was  precisely  similar  to  that  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
Congress.  When  a  general  surrenders,  all  of  his  army  escape 
who  can ;  but  a  man  once  paroled  and  sent  to  the  rear,  cannot 
be  recaptured. 

I  wrill  close  this  long  chapter  by  saying  that  in  the  battle  I 
have  attempted  to  describe,  the  pilots  of  our  vessels  did  their 
duty  well  and  manfully.  Mr.  Gladden,  our  chief  pilot,  was 
highly  commended  by  Commodore  Ingraham. 

NOTE  I. — The  Princess  Royal,  a  captured  blockade  runner,  was  among 
the  vessels  off  the  harbor  the  morning  we  went  out.  Some  stress  is  laid 
upon  our  not  capturing  her,  in  the  various  Federal  accounts.  I  have  a  dim 
recollection  of  seeing  this  vessel  scuttling  away  some  time  after  sunrise,  but 
cannot  speak  with  certainty  as  to  the  hour.  We  did  not  capture  her  for 


NOTES  ON  CHAPTER  XXVI.  305 

the  same  reason  we  did  not  bring  the  Housatonic  and  other  ships  to  close 
action — we  could  not  catch  her ! 

NOTE  II. — Since  writing  this  chapter,  my  friend  Admiral  Ammen  U.  S. 
N.  writes  me  in  reference  to  Captain  Stellwagen,  his  officers  and  men  : — 
"  Their  parole  was  observed,  and  they  were  regularly  exchanged,  I  think, 
the  following  April." 

I  had  not  known  this  fact  before,  and  am  glad.to  have  the  opportunity 
to  record  it. 


306      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CAPTUEE  OF   THE   U.   S.   S.    "  ISAAC  SMITH  " — TORPEDOES — CHARLESTON  AT 
THIS    TIME— ITS  DEFENCES— BLOCKADE  RUNNERS — ARRIVAL   OF    THE  U. 

S.  IRON-CLAD  FLEET  OFF  THE  HARBOR — ATTACK  ON  FORT  SUMTER  BY 
ADMIRAL  DUPONT'S  FLEET,  APRIL  ?TH,  1863 — RESULT  OF  THE  ATTACK  — 
THE  "KEOKUK"  SUNK— ADMIRAL  DUPONT'S  CAPTAINS— AN  INTENDED 
TORPEDO  EXPEDITION — THE  MONITORS  LEAVE  MORRIS  ISLAND  AND  GO 
TO  THE  NORTH  EDISTO  RIVER. 

THE  day  before  we  attacked  the  vessels  off  the  harbor  (Jan 
uary  30th)  the  U.  S  steamer  Isaac  Smith  was  captured  on  the 
Stono  river  by  the  light  batteries  of  the  army.  She  was  turned 
over  to  the  navy  and  put  in  commission  under  the  name  of  the 
Stono.  Captain  Hartstene  was  placed  in  command  of  her. 
She  was  a  vessel  of  450  tons,  and  had  originally  been  a  "  cattle  " 
boat  on  the  North  river.  She  was  propelled  by  a  screw  with 
a  walking-beam  engine ;  the  walking-beam  worked  athwartship 
which  gave  her  a  very  peculiar  appearance.  She  carried  a 
very  heavy  battery  for  a  vessel  of  her  size  and  construction  ; 
eight  or  ten  64-pounder  shell  guns  in  broadside  and  a  rifle  30- 
pounder  Parrot  forward.  We  found  her  very  useful.  Imme 
diately  after  the  battle  of  the  31st  the  fleet  off  Charleston  was 
reinforced  by  the  U.  S.  steamer  New  Ironsides — a  heavily- 
armored  frigate  with  a  powerful  battery.  It  was  not  considered 
advisable  to  send  our  vessels  out  to  attack  her.  During  the 
months  of  February  and  March  we  remained  in  a  state  of 
comparative  inactivity ;  but  kept  our  men  in  perfect  drill. 
We  put  a  torpedo  on  our  bow  at  this  time.  The  staff  projected 
some  20  feet  from  the  stem ;  it  worked  on  a  hinge  or  goose 
neck,  and  by  means  of  an  iron  davit  the  staff  could  be  raised 
so  as  to  carry  the  torpedo  out  of  water — when  ready  for  use 
it  was  lowered  so  as  to  bring  the  torpedo  about  six  feet  under 


CHARLESTON  AT  THIS  TIME.  307 

water.  The  torpedo  was  loaded  with  60  pounds  of  rifle  powder, 
and  had  screwed  in  it  in  different  positions  near  the  head  seven 
sensitive  chemical  fuses.  We  kept  it  in  the  water  ready  for 
use,  and  about  every  two  weeks  would  bring  it  on  board,  take 
out  the  fuses  and  examine  the  powder  to  see  that  it  was  dry. 
As  executive  officer  I  always  attended  to  this  with  the  gunner, 
and  it  was  no  joke  to  do  it.  In  the  first  place  we  had  to  go 
out  in  a  boat  and  take  the  torpedo  off  the  staff,  and  in  rough 
weather  it  was  hard  to  keep  the  boat  from  striking  it.  As  a 
moderate  blow  was  sufficient  to  break  the  glass  phials  inside 
the  fuses  and  cause  an  explosion,  this  in  itself  was  not  a  pleasant 
occupation.  Upon  getting  it  on  board  we  would  take  it  on  the 
after  "  fantail,"  (as  we  denominated  the  ends  outside  the  shield) 
behind  a  screen,  and  I  have  passed  many  a  mauvais  quart 
d'heure  while  the  gunner  unscrewed  with  a  wrench,  and  took 
out,  all  the  fuses.  I  think  it  .was  about  the  most  unpleasant 
duty  I  ever  had  to  perform. 

Charleston  was  very  gay  about  this  time ;  parties  and  picnics 
were  the  order  of  the  day,  and  all  seemed  inclined  to  follow 
the  advice  of  the  old  poet  who  has  written : 

"  Gather  ye  rose-buds  while  ye  may, 

Old  time  is  still  a-flying; 
And  this  same  flower  that  smiles  to-day 
To-morrow  will  be  dying." 

General  Beauregard  was  in  command  of  the  department, 
and  General  Ripley  second  in  command.  They  were  con 
stantly  engaged  in  strengthening  the  batteries,  laying  down 
torpedoes,  and  placing  obstructions.  I  never  knew  much 
about  the  obstructions.  There  were  some  booms  abreast  of 
Fort  Sumter  with  an  opening  close  in  to  the  fort,  and  piling 
abreast  of  Castle  Pinckney;  but  I  do  not  remember  much 
about  the  obstructions  or  the  torpedoes.  Every  now  and  then 
we  would  be  cautioned  in  a  public  order  against  using  certain 
channels ;  but  I  suspect  much  of  this  information  was  for  the 
benefit  of  spies. 

There  was   no   doubt,  though,  about  the  strength  of  the 


308        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

different  forts  and  batteries.  They  mounted  very  heavy  guns, 
and  were  remarkably  well  manned.  From  personal  inspec 
tion  I  can  speak  of  the  garrison  of  Fort  Sumter.  The  regi 
ment  there,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Rhett,  bore  more 
the  appearance  of  "  regulars  "  than  any  regiment  I  remember 
to  have  seen  at  the  South. 

We  were  enlivened  by  the  occasional  arrival  of  a  blockade 
runner.  They  generally  flew  the  British  flag.  One  morning 
a  steamer  called  the  Ariel  arrived,  flying  the  Spanish  flag, 
rather  to  our  surprise.  It  seems  she  had  intended  going  into 
Wilmington,  but  losing  her  reckoning,  found  herself  off  "  a 
harbor,"  and  was  forced  to  run  in  or  be  captured.  The  cap 
tain  did  not  know  whether  he  \vas  in  Wilmington  or  not  until 
he  was  told.  She  had  a  Spanish  captain,  and  a  drunken  Eng 
lishman  for  a  navigator.  She  took  on  board  a  cargo  of  cotton 
and  as  might  have  been  expected  was  captured  the  night  she 
went  out.  This  vessel  was  schooner-rigged,  and  her  masts 
worked  on  hinges  at  the  spar-deck  so  that  they  could  be 
lowered  by  swinging  them  back. 

In  March,  1863,  Flag  Officer  Ingraham  was  relieved  by 
Commodore  Tucker,  who  assumed  command  of  the  vessels 
afloat,  writh  his  flag  on  board  the  Chicora;  Commodore  Ingra 
ham  retaining  command  of  the  station. 

The  Federals  were  now  assembling  a  large  number  of 
monitors  at  Port  Royal  and  the  North  Edisto  river,  and  we 
knew  that  Charleston  would  soon  be  attacked  by  sea.  The 
original  Monitor  foundered  off  Cape  Hatteras  on  her  way 
south,  December  30,  1862.  This  class  of  iron-clads  came  to 
be  called  "  monitors  "  from  her  name.  Although  we  knew  the ' 
monitors  were  now  assembling  at  the  North  Edisto  river,  not 
many  miles  below  Charleston,  yet  their  appearance  off  the  bar 
took  us  rather  by  surprise  after  all.  It  was  on  Sunday,  April 
5th,  that  as  I  was  quietly  smoking  a  cigar  after  the  usual 
"  muster  "  and  "  inspection,"  Lieutenant  Macomb  Mason — 
Commodore  Tucker's  flag  lieutenant — came  on  board  with  the 
information  that  the  iron-clad  fleet  was  off  the  harbor.  Our 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  U.  S.  IRON  CLAD  FLEET.    309 

vessels  were  lying  at  their  wharves  at  the  time ;  but  we  im 
mediately  got  underweigh  and  proceeded  to  our  previously 
assigned  stations  off  Fort  Johnson.  We  were  held  as  part  of 
the  inner  circle  of  defence.  I  suppose  one  reason  we  did  not 
go  further  out  was  that  the  Federals  might  not  know  there  was 
an  opening  in  the  obstructions  off  Fort  Sumter.  The  moni 
tors  and  frigate  New  Ironsides  crossed  the  bar  on  the  6th,  and 
anchored  off  Morris  island.  That  very  night  a  blockade 
runner  came  in  by  the  main  ship  channel  and  passed  by  them 
without  being  perceived.  The  captain  of  the  blockade  runner 
took  them  to  be  Confederate  vessels,  as  they  were  at  anchor 
inside  the  bar. 

The  U.  S.  iron-clad  squadron  consisted  of  the  frigate  New 
Ironsides,  bearing  the  flag  of  Admiral  Dupont,  and  the  monitors 
Passaic,  Weehawken,  Montauk,  Patapsco,  Catskill,  Nantucket, 
Nahant  and  Keokuk.  The  monitors  were  armed  with  one 
15-in.  and  one  11-inch  gun  each,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Keokuk,  which  I  believe  had  two  11-in.  guns.  The  New 
Ironsides  mounted  two  150-pounder  Parrott  rifle  guns,  and 
fourteen  11-in.  Dahlgren  guns  in  broadside  on  her  main  deck, 
or  casemate.  She  had  on  her  spar-deck  two  50-pounder 
Dahlgren  rifle  guns.  There  were  also  present  a  large  number 
of  wooden  vessels  of  war,  but  they  took  no  part  in  the  subse 
quent  engagement. 

It  was  about  1  p.  M.  on  the  7th  of  April,  1863,  that  we  per 
ceived  the  enemy  to  be  underweigh,  and  advancing  to  the 
attack.  Fort  Sumter  hoisted  the  Confederate  and  Palmetto 
flags,  and  the  band,  stationed  on  the  parapet,  played  several 
patriotic  airs.  Our  two  vessels  got  underweigh  and  steamed 
slowly  around  in  a  circle  during  the  entire  bombardment. 
The  monitors  came  up  with  the  Weehawken  in  advance.  She 
carried  some  kind  of  a  false  bow,  designed  by  Ericson,  to  pick 
up  torpedoes.  The  New  Ironsides  was  in  the  centre  of  the 
line ;  but  becoming  unmanageable,  the  rear  vessels  were  di 
rected  to  pass  her.  She  remained  during  the  action  about 
twelve  hundred  yards  from  Fort  Sumter.  The  monitors 


310        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

fought  at  distances  varying  from  five  hundred  to  seven  hun 
dred  yards.  At  2.50  P.  M.  the  first  gun  was  fired  from  Fort 
Moultrie,  and  soon  after  Sumter  opened,  with  Fort  Beauregard 
and  other  batteries  on  Sullivan's  and  Morris  islands. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Admiral  Dupont  to  pass  Fort  Sumter, 
and  attack  its  northwest  face  ;  but  the  leading  monitor  coming 
up  to  the  obstruction  and  not  liking  the  look  of  it,  turned 
around.  This  threw  their  line  into  some  confusion,  but  they 
kept  up  the  fire  on  the  northeast  face  and  were  under  a  ter 
rific  fire  from  Sumter.  As  the  enemy  did  not  pass  the 
obstruction  we  had  no  opportunity  of  trying  the  effect  of  the 
torpedo  on  our  bow,  nor  could  we  fire  a  gun.  I  do  not  know 
the  number  of  guns  our  forts  and  batteries  brought  to  play  on 
the  monitors,  but  it  was  very  large,  and  I  suppose  no  vessels 
were  ever  under  so  heavy  a  fire. 

At  4.30  P.  M.  Admiral  Dupont  made  the  signal  to  his  vessels 
to  retire,  and  shortly  after  they  withdrew  to  their  former  an 
chorage  off  Morris  island.  They  were  still  inside  the  bar.  We 
did  not  know,  of  course,  what  injuries  his  vessels  had  received 
in  the  encounter,  and  were  inclined  to  consider  the  movement 
as  a  reconnaissance  in  force.  In  fact  Admiral  Dupont  says  in 
his  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy : 

"  Finding  no  impression  made  upon  the  fort,  I  made  signal 
to  withdraw  the  ships,  intending  to  renew  the  attack  this 
morning."  [April  8.] 

"  But  the  commanders  of  the  monitors  came  on  board  and 
reported,  verbally,  the  injuries  to  their  vessels ;  when  without 
hesitation  or  consultation,  (for  I  never  hold  councils  of  war),  I 
determined  not  to  renew  the  attack ;  for  in  my  judgment  it 
would  have  converted  a  failure  into  a  disaster ;  and  I  will 
only  add  that  Charleston  cannot  be  taken  by  a  purely  naval 
attack,  and  the  army  could  give  me  no  co-operation.  Had  I 
succeeded  in  entering  the  harbor  I  should  have  had  twelve 
hundred  men  and  thirty-two  guns ;  but  five  of  the  eight  iron 
clads  were  wholly  or  partially  disabled  after  a  brief  engage 
ment." 


THE  "  KEOKUK"  SUNK.  311 

The  next  morning  we  observed  that  the  Keokuk  had  sunk 
at  her  anchors,  or  while  in  tow  of  another  vessel.  She  was 
not  a  regular  monitor,  but  was  constructed  after  a  plan  of 
Mr.  Whitney  of  New  York.  Captain  Rhiud  was  ordered  to 
give  her  a  "  good  trial  under  fire,"  and  he  did !  The  captains 
of  all  the  monitors  did  their  duty  manfully  and  gallantly. 
They  were  :  Percival  Drayton,  John  Rodgers,  John  L.  Wor- 
den,  Daniel  Ammen,  George  W.  Rodgers,  D.  McN.  Fairfax, 
John  Downes,  and  A.  C.  Rhind.  Captain  Thomas  Turner 
commanded  the  Ironsides,  and  C.  R.  P.  Rodgers  was  the  fleet 
captain.  Of  this  latter  officer,  Admiral  Dupont  says  in  his 
report:  "No  language  could  overstate  his  services  to  his 
country,  to  this  fleet,  and  to  myself  as  its  Commander-in- 
chief."  Certainly  no  commander,  not  even  Nelson,  was  ever 
better  supported  by  his  captains  than  was  Admiral  Dupont. 
They  concurred  with  him  in  the  opinion  that  it  was  better  not 
to  make  another  attempt. 

In  this  engagement  the  enemy  fired  at  Forts  Sumter  and 
Moultrie  139  shots  from  11-inch  and  15-inch  guns;  of  these — 
96  shell,  30  solid  shot,  and  13  coned  shot.  The  Keokuk  fired 
but  three  times.  Captain  George  E.  Belknap  U.  S.  N.  in  a 
letter  to  the  United  Service  Magazine,  says :  "  The  Confeder 
ates  fired  in  this  engagement  two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
nine  shot,  shell,  and  rifle-balls  of  heavy  calibre." 

The  Federal  loss  was  one  killed  and  a  few  wounded.  On 
our  side  the  casualties  were :  One  man  killed  and  five 
\vounded  in  Fort  Sumter ;  and  one  killed  at  Moultrie. 

Fort  Sumter  was  not  materially  damaged.  Some  casemates 
were  battered  in,  and  a  brick  traverse  knocked  down.  The 
damages  were  immediately  repaired  with  sand-bags.  It  was 
said  in  Charleston  at  the  time,  that  in  this  action  the  New  Iron 
sides  was  anchored  over  a  torpedo  containing  1200  pounds  of 
powder,  and  that  the  electrician  could  not  explode  it.  It  was 
made  of  an  iron  boiler  or  tank,  and  was  supposed  to  have 
leaked.  I  cannot  vouch  for  this,  but  I  think  it  was  true. 

The  failure  of  Admiral  Dupont  to  take  Charleston  by  a 


312         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

coup  de  main  gave  great  offence  to  the  authorities  at  Washing 
ton.  Not  knowing  anything  about  the  difficulties  in  the  way, 
they  expected  him  to  repeat  Admiral  Farragut's  performance 
at  New  Orleans.  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  his  report  for 
1863  says  in  reference  to  this  affair :  "  But  comparatively 
slight  injury  was  sustained  by  the  turreted  vessels,  and  only 
one  life  was  lost  in  this  remarkable  contest."  It  resulted  in 
Admiral  Dupont  being  relieved,  at  his  own  request,  on  the  6th 
of  July  by  Admiral  John  A.  Dahlgren ;  and  whether  he  was 
correct  or  not  in  the  opinion  that  the  vessels  could  not  have 
passed  Fort  Sumter  on  the  7th  of  April  and  taken  Charleston, 
certain  it  is  that  they  never  did  so  afterward !  Fort  Sumter, 
though  finally  battered  to  a  heap  of  ruins,  was  never  captured. 
It  was  evacuated,  with  the  city,  in  February  1865. 

Some  weeks  before  this  attack  upon  Fort  Sumter  Lieutenant 
Webb  came  to  Charleston  with  orders  from  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  to  organize  a  fleet  of  small  torpedo  boats  — the  idea 
being  that  they  were  to  attack  the  monitors  in  case  they  should 
succeed  in  entering  the  harbor.  It  seems  that  a  board  of 
officers  had  been  assembled  in  Bichmond  to  devise  plans, of 
action  in  such  an  event.  An  old  and  distinguished  commodore 
proposed  that  they  should  have  hawsers  with  large  hooks  in 
the  ends  laid  along  the  streets.  "  Then,"  said  this  old  sea-dog, 
"  let  a  boat  go  out,  hook  on  to  a  monitor,  clap  on  two  or  three 
hundred  soldiers,  and  haul  her,  by  G — d,  right  into  the  wharf. 
"  But  commodore,"  said  one,  "  she  would  fire  her  gun  and  rake 
down  the  entire  party  !"  "  By  G — d,  I  never  thought  of  that," 
he  replied.  Webb  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  boats ;  but 
finally  succeeded  in  collecting  a  lot  of  skiffs  and  canoes  with  a 
few  serviceable  cutters.  These  boats  were  fitted  with  poles  20 
feet  long  on  their  stems,  with  60  pound  torpedoes  on  their  ends. 
Webb  had  some  thirty  officers  and  men,  and  he  hired  a  ware 
house  for  their  accommodation  and  a  depot  for  the  torpedoes. 
It  was  not  at  all  uncommon  to  see  a  sailor  rolling  down  to  his 
boat,  when  they  were  called  for  exercise,  with  a  quid  of  tobacco 
in  his  cheek  and  a  60  pound  torpedo  slung  over  his  back ;  and 


AN  INTENDED  TORPEDO  EXPEDITION.        313 

when  it  is  recollected  that  these  torpedoes  had  seven  sensitive 
fuses  which  a  tap  with  a  stick  or  a  blow  with  a  stone  was 
sufficient  to  explode  and  blow  half  the  street  down,  it  can 
readily  be  believed  that  we  gave  him  a  wide  berth. 

When  the  monitors  appeared  off  the  harbor  on  the  5th  a 
detachment  of  sailors  was  sent  on  from  Wilmington  under  my 
old  friend  Johnson.  They  were  assigned  to  the  torpedo  boats 
under  Webb,  and  never  having  had  anything  to  do  with  torpe 
does  had  much  to  learn.  The  iron-clads  remained  at  anchor 
off  Morris  island,  and  we  wrere  expecting  another  and  perhaps 
more  desperate  attack.  On  the  morning  of  the  10th  a  signal 
was  made  by  the  flag  ship  Chicora  requiring  me  to  repair  on 
board.  Upon  getting  alongside  I  found  Commodore  Tucker 
pacing  the  "  fantail,"  and  I  joined  him.  "  What,"  said  he,  "  is 
your  opinion  as  to  making  an  attack  on  the  three  upper  moni 
tors  to-night  with  six  torpedo  boats  ?"  "  I  think  well  of  it,"  I 
answered.  "  Will  you  take  the  command  of  them,"  said  the 
commodore.  "  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  and  the  thing  was  settled. 
He  gave  me  an  order  on  Webb  for  the  boats  which  I  was  to 
select,  and  the  attempt  was  to  be  made  that  night.  Now  I  had 
never  had  any  fancy  for  this  kind  of  service ;  in  fact  it  was  re 
pugnant  to  me ;  but  this  was  a  case  of  noblesse  oblige.  I  went 
immediately  to  work  to  get  everything  ready.  I  went  on  shore 
and  selected  six  pretty  good  cutters  with  their  officers  and 
crews,  and  after  directing  them  to  come  out  singly  I  returned 
to  the  Chicora  where  I  had  the  use  of  the  cabin  to  draw  up 
my  plan  of  attack,  &c.  While  about  it,  Webb  came  off  and 
said  General  Beauregard  thought  it  would  be  better  to  take  all 
the  torpedo  boats  and  attack  the  entire  fleet  of  monitors. 

Commodore  Tucker  called  a  council  of  war,  and  submitted 
the  proposal.  It  was  decided  that  it  should  be  attempted ; 
and  as  the  council  broke  up,  the  commodore  directed  me  to  re 
tain  the  command.  The  boats  were  ordered  to  come  off  singly, 
or  in  pairs,  so  as  not  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  enemy ;  and 
to  rendezvous  alongside  the  Stono.  This  vessel  had  a  large 
cabin,  and  I  used  it  to  collect  the  commanders  together  so 
14 


314        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

that  I  might  explain  my  method  of  attack,  once  for  all.  It 
was  growing  towards  sunset,  and  time  was  pressing.  I  in 
tended  to  drop  down  with  the  ebb  tide,  close  along  Morris 
island,  and  to  attack  the  monitors  at  the  beginning  of  the 
flood  tide,  which  would  be  about  midnight ;  and  my  written 
orders  required  that  every  commander  should  explode  his  tor 
pedo  against  one  of  the  enemy's  ships  before  returning  to 
Charleston.  We  intended  to  "  double  bank "  the  monitors. 
The  moon  was  23  days  old,  and  would  not  rise  until  about  1 
A.  M. 

We  had  about  fifteen  boats  in  all ;  and  as  I  looked  at  them 
lying  alongside  the  Stono,  some  of  them  half  full  of  water,  and 
with  inexperienced  crews,  my  heart  sank.  I  could  see  no  pos 
sible  chance  of  success  under  the  circumstances.  After  ex 
plaining  my  plan  of  attack,  I  broke  up  the  conference  and 
directed  the  captains  to  have  their  boats  ready  to  move  as 
soon  as  it  became  dark.  My  old  friend  Johnson  came  to  me 
for  further  instructions.  He  had  never  seen  a  torpedo-boat, 
and  had  some  doubts  in  relation  to  them.  "  It  seems  to  me, 
captain,"  he  said,  "  that  when  I  explode  the  torpedo,  the  reac 
tion  will  knock  the  bow  of  my  boat  in."  This,  to  tell  the 
truth,  was  my  private  opinion  also  ;  but  of  course  I  could  not 
express  it.  I  tried  to  explain  to  him  why  it  might  not 
happen.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  I'll  explode  my  torpedo  against 
a  monitor ;  but  that's  the  way  it  looks  to  me ! "  I  shall  never 
forget  his  earnest  expression  at  the  time,  and  I  felt  sure  that 
whatever  his  "  doubts  "  might  be,  I  could  rely  upon  him  to 
the  death. 

When  nearly  ready  to  start,  the  officer  of  the  deck  reported 
to  me  that  Commodore  Tucker  was  coming  on  board.  I 
thought  he  had  come  to  bid  us  Godspeed  ;  but  he  said  as  soon 
as  he  reached  the  deck  :  "  Parker,  you  have  lost  your  chance 
— the  monitors  are  leaving — they  can  be  seen  crossing  the 
bar."  I  thought  for  a  moment,  and  then  replied  :  "  I  am  glad 
of  it."  "  Why ! "  said  the  commodore,  much  surprised.  For 
answer  I  took  him  to  the  side  of  the  vessel  and  pointed  to  the 


THE  MONITORS  LEA  VE  MORRIS  ISLAND.       315 

group  of  half-swamped  canoes  and  skiffs  !  Why  the  Stono  was 
not  blown  up,  or  why  they  did  not  blow  each  other  up,  is  more 
than  I  can  account  for.  The  commodore  agreed  with  me  that 
it  would  have  been  a  forlorn  hope.  We  had  not  known 
when  it  was  decided  to  send  the  boats  down  how  entirely 
unfitted  they  were  for  the  service. 

I  think  it  was  on  the  12th  that  the  last  of  the  monitors  left 
the  offing ;  and  soon  after  we  heard  of  their  arrival  in  the 
North  Edisto  river.  The  New  Ironsides  remained  on  the 
blockade. 


316       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

KECONNOISSANCE  OP  THE  MONITORS  IN  THE  NOKTH  EDISTO  RIVER — I  OR 
GANIZE  A  TORPEDO  EXPEDITION  TO  ATTACK  THEM — ARRIVAL  AT  ROCK- 
VILLE— A  DESERTER— SKILFUL  AND  ORIGINAL  FLANK  MOVEMENT— RE 
TURN  TO  CHARLESTON — COMMANDER  W.  T.  GLASSELL's  ATTACK  ON  THE 
"  NEW  IRONSIDES  " — ADMIRAL  DANIEL  AMMEN — I  AM  ORDERED  TO 
RICHMOND. 

THE  monitors  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  North  Edisto  river, 
where  they  remained  undergoing  repairs.  Commodore  Tucker 
and  I  now  had  torpedo  "  on  the  brain,"  and  I  was  sent  down 
to  the  Edisto  by  land  to  reconnoitre.  The  monitors  lay  near 
the  mouth  of  a  creek,  and  could  be  plainly  observed  from  the 
little  village  of  Rockville,  on  the  southern  end  of  Wardmelaw 
island.  Rockville  had  been  built  by  the  planters  of  the 
neighboring  islands  as  a  summer  resort ;  it  was  deserted. 
Our  pickets  occupied  the  church  steeple  which  overlooked  the 
decks  of  the  monitors  ;  but  now 

"  The  sound  of  its  church-going  bell 

These  valleys  and  rocks  never  heard ; 
Never  sighed  at  the  sound  of  a  knell, 
Or  smiled  when  a  Sabbath  appeared." 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  the  pickets  told  me  that  the  enemy 
would  occasionally  land  in  Rockville,  and  then  our  pickets 
would  fall  back  from  their  posts  until  they  left.  I  believe  this 
was  a  tacit  understanding  between  them  and  they  did  not  fire 
on  each  other.  Having  carefully  observed  the  position  of 
affairs,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  a  small  number  of  boats  could 
go  up  Bohicket  creek,  abreast  the  monitors,  and  there  await  a 
dark  and  rainy  night ;  then  with  their  torpedoes  ready  they 
could  make  a  dash  at  the  monitors,  which  would  be  taken  by 


I  ORGANIZE  A  TORPEDO  EXPEDITION.        317 

surprise,  and  the  boats  having  but  a  short  distance  to  row  the 
chances  were  that  some  at  least  of  the  vessels  would  be  de 
stroyed.  I  returned  to  Charleston  and  reported  the  result  of 
my  observations  to  Commodore  Tucker,  and  was  directed  to 
organize  ail  expedition  of  six  boats  for  the  attempt.  I  took 
four  of  the  best  of  Webb's  boats,  and  one  from  the  Chicora  and 
Palmetto  State  each.  The  boats  were  well  officered  and  manned 
by  volunteers,  and  we  took  great  pains  in  preparing  them. 
The  torpedo  staffs  were  not  fastened  to  the  stems ;  but  were 
carried  about  six  feet  below  the  keels  of  the  boats.  When 
rowing,  the  staff  could  be  brought  close  up  to  the  keel  of  the 
boat,  and  it  could  be  raised  and  lowered  at  pleasure.  By  re 
moving  keys  at  the  stem  and  stern  posts  it  could  be  let  go 
altogether.  The  boats  made  slow  headway  with  the  staff 
lowered,  or  indeed  with  it  pulled  up  against  the  keel ;  but  after 
exploding  the  torpedo  the  whole  affair  was  to  be  detached  to 
give  the  boat  a  chance  to  escape.  I  drilled  the  boats  well  be 
fore  starting  on  this  expedition,  and  satisfied  myself  that  every 
thing  was  in  good  working  order,  and  that  every  officer  and 
man  understood  what  he  was  expected  to  do.  We  kept  our 
plans  to  ourselves  so  that  spies  might  not  carry  the  news  to  the 
enemy.  Our  route  was  to  be  up  the  Ashley  river  to  Wappoo 
creek ;  through  Wappoo  creek  into  the  Stono  river ;  up  the 
Stono  to  Church  flats ;  by  Church  flats  to  the  Wardmelaw 
river ;  and  down  the  Wardmelaw  to  the  North  Edisto  river. 
The  Wardmelaw  empties  into  the  Edisto  about  seven  miles 
from  its  mouth.  On  the  10th  day  of  May,  1863,  we  started 
from  Charleston  with  six  boats,  in  tow  of  an  army  tug  which 
was  to  take  us  as  far  as  Church  flats.  Lieutenant  W.  T.  Glass- 
ell  was  my  second  in  command.  All  hands  were  in  fine  spirits. 
Upon  being  cast  off  by  the  tug  we  took  to  our  oars  and  palled 
down  the  Wardmelaw  river  into  the  Edisto,  which  we  reached 
about  sunset.  We  landed  at  White  Point,  and  hauling  our 
boats  up  out  of  sight  went  into  camp  for  the  night.  The  Fed 
eral  gunboats  patrolled  the  river  up  to  and  beyond  this  point, 
and  all  the  plantations  were  abandoned  on  both  sides  of  the 
river. 


318       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

The  next  day  General  Hagood  (since  Governor  of  South 
Carolina),  came  to  my  quarters  for  consultation.  It  was 
agreed  that  if  we  were  successful  in  sinking  the  monitors  that 
he  would  make  an  attack  on  the  troops  on  shore  in  the  neigh 
borhood.  He  also  agreed  to  have  a  company  of  infantry,  a 
company  of  artillery,  and  a  company  of  cavalry  at  the  place 
on  Bohicket  creek,  where  I  expected  to  land.  The  first  two 
companies  to  protect  us  in  case  we  were  chased  up  the  creek, 
and  the  last  to  act  as  scouts.  All  the  day  we  remained  quietly 
at  White  Point,  keeping  ourselves  out  of  view  of  the  enemy's 
vessels,  which  we  could  see  very  distinctly  anchored  near  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  in  the  vicinity  of  Rockville,  distant  five  or 
six  miles.  About  10  o'clock  that  night  we  started  down  the 
river  with  muffled  oars.  Our  object  was  to  get  up  Bohicket 
creek  without  being  discovered,  and  there  await  our  opportu 
nity.  The  night  was  clear,  but  there  was  no  moon.  The  tor 
pedoes  were  taken  off  the  staffs  and  carried  in  the  stern-sheets, 
and  the  staffs  were  carried  over  all, — so  there  was  nothing  to 
impede  our  headway. 

We  went  down  the  river  in  line  ahead,  Lieutenant  Glassell 
with  an  experienced  pilot  leading,  and  the  boats  closed  up  to 
boat-length  intervals.  The  men  were  armed  with  cutlasses, 
and  the  officers  in  charge  had  orders  to  board  and  carry  any 
boat  we  came  across,  if  we  were  seen  by  it.  We  pursued  our 
way,  not  even  whispering  to  each  other, — passed  the  monitors 
without  being  discovered,  and  went  up  the  creek.  Here  wre 
found  the  companies  anxiously  awaiting  our  arrival.  There 
was  a  deserted  mansion  here  which  we  determined  to  use  as 
our  headquarters  ;  so,  hauling  the  boats  close  in  under  the 
banks,  and  stowing  the  torpedoes  in  an  empty  room,  we  all 
turned  in  for  a  nap,  it  being  then  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

Glassell  and  I  had  a  field-bed  in  a  room  together;  and 
shortly  after  daybreak  I  saw  his  coxswain  come  in  and  call 
him.  After  a  few  whispered  words  they  went  out  together.  I 
feared  something  was  wrong,  and  got  up ;  and  while  making 


A  DESERTER.  319 

a  hasty  toilet  Glassell  returned  and  reported  that  one  of  his 
very  best  men  could  not  be  found,  and  he  feared  he  had  de 
serted  to  the  enemy.  Glassell  had  been  out  several  times  dur 
ing  the  winter  trying  to  blow  up  one  of  the  vessels  off  Charles 
ton,  and  this  man  had  always  accompanied  him ;  consequently 
he  knew  all  about  our  torpedo  arrangements.  I  immediately 
sent  the  cavalry  to  scout  the  country  in  the  hope  of  picking 
him  up,  and  posted  the  artillery  and  infantry  on  the  banks  of 
the  creek  to  be  prepared  to  resist  an  attack  by  boats.  Soon 
after  this,  one  of  the  monitors  got  underweigh  and  anchored  off 
the  mouth  of  the  creek,  and  a  gunboat  went  up  the  river  and 
shelled  White  Point,  where  we  had  bivouacked  the  night  be 
fore.  "  Quoth  Hudibras,  '  I  smell  a  rat.'  " 

A  picket  soon  came  in  who  had  been  occupying  the  church- 
steeple  at  Rockville  during  the  night.  He  said  that  shortly 
after  daylight  he  saw  a  boat  from  one  of  the  monitors  pull  in 
to  the  marsh  and  take  a  stake  from  it.  He  said  he  remarked 
to  his  companion  that  he  wondered  at  their  doing  so,  as  the 
stake  must  be  wet  and  would  not  burn.  That  "  stake  "  was  our 
man.  He  had  made  a  straight  wake  for  the  fleet,  waded 
through  the  marsh  to  the  water's  edge,  and  waved  his  hat  for 
a  boat  to  take  him  on  board.  I  sent  Glassell  up  the  creek 
with  the  boats,  and  told  him  to  go  up  as  far  as  he  could,  and 
awaited  further  developments.  During  the  day  the  monitor 
fired  some  shell  at  our  position,  as  well  as  I  recollect ;  but  I 
am  not  sure  of  this.  I  recollect  the  bank  of  the  creek  was 
high  and  we  had  only  to  keep  under  it  to  be  perfectly 
protected,  and  I  know  that  no  one  was  hurt.  In  the  afternoon 
General  Hagood  came  down  and  we  agreed  that  the  expedi 
tion  must  be  given  up.  Our  hope  of  success  lay  in  a  surprise, 
and  that  was  no  longer  possible.  The  point  now  was  to  save 
the  boats  and  men ;  the  loss  of  the  latter  would  seriously  im 
pair  the  efficiency  of  our  two  iron  clads  at  Charleston.  To 
return  by  the  way  we  came  was  obviously  out  of  the  question ; 
so  after  some  thought,  I  asked  the  general  to  send  six  army 
wagons,  with  their  teams,  to  meet  me  at  the  head  of  the  creek 


320       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

next  morning.  This  he  promised  to  do.  About  sunset  Gins- 
sell  sent  a  boat  down  to  see  what  had  become  of  me,  and  I 
went  back  in  it  to  rejoin  my  command.  I  found  the  party  at 
a  deserted  mansion  on  Wardmelaw  island.  The  furniture 
(much  abused  of  course)  was  still  in  the  house ;  the  garden 
with  its  orange  and  lemon-trees,  etc.,  was  overgrown  with 
weeds.  All  bore  the  imprint  of  cruel  war.  I  cannot  say  I 
gave  way  to  much  sentiment  myself  upon  the  occasion.  I 
think  I  had  a  pretty  keen  perception  of  what  was  to  come 
when  war  \vas  declared  betwreen  the  states,  and  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  to  bear  up  philosophically  under  all  circumstances. 
Though  disappointed  at  the  result  of  our  expedition,  and 
somewhat  anxious  as  to  the  saving  of  my  men  I  remem 
ber  to  have  enjoyed  a  cigar  among  the  orange  groves  very 
much  that  night,  after  a  hearty  supper  of  hard-tack  and  salt 
pork. 

The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  six  wagons,  each  drawn 
by  four  mules,  made  their  appearance.  We  took  the  bodies 
off,  hauled  the  fore  and  hind  wheels  farther  apart,  substituted 
the  torpedo  staffs  for  fore-and-aft  pieces,  and  mounted  the 
boats  gallantly  on  top.  The  road  was  across  a  champaign 
country,  through  very  high  marsh  grass,  and  .the  mules  moved 
off  so  freely  that  some  of  the  men  sat  in  the  boats  and  rode 
there.  With  flags  flying,  we  formed  line  ahead,  and  struck 
out  for  the  Stono — thus  turning  the  Edisto  and  Wardmelaw 
rivers.  Some  of  our  soldiers  who  were  at  batteries  on  the  op 
posite  side  of  the  river,  said  afterwards,  that  our  appearance 
caused  the  greatest  astonishment.  The  grass  being  very  high, 
the  mules  could  not  be  seen,  nor  the  men  walking  alongside. 
To  them  the  appearance  was  that  of  six  boats,  manned  and  with 
colors  flying,  safling  over  the  land  in  some  mysterious  manner. 
Macbeth  was  not  more  astounded  when  he  saw  "  great  Birnam 
wood  approaching  the  walls  of  Dunsinane,"  But  for  making 
out  our  colors  they  would  have  given  us  a  shot  or  two.  Wo 
launched  our  boats  in  the  Stono  river  and  returned  to  Charles 
ton,  via  Wappoo  creek,  as  before.  That  night  at  midnight  I 


ADMIRAL  DANIEL  AMMEN.  321 

awakened  Commodore  Tucker,  and  informed  him  of  the  non- 
success  of  our  expedition. 

This  was  my  last  torpedo  service ;  b.ut  Glassell  who  had  been 
an  enthusiastic  "torpedoist"  from  the  beginning,  afterwards 
made  a  daring  attempt  to  destroy  the  New  Ironsides.  He  went 
down  Charleston  harbor  in  a  steam  torpedo  boat  on  the  night 
of  October  5,  1863.  He  had  with  him  a  pilot,  an  engineer 
and  two  men.  Applying  the  rule  I  have  given  in  chapter  13 
of  this  book  I  find  that  on  that  night  the  moon  was  24  days 
old,  and  consequently  would  not  rise  until  about  3  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  The  Ironsides  was  lying  off  Morris  island  at 
anchor,  and  about  9.15  P.  M.  Glassell  struck  her  with  his  tor 
pedo,  and  as  he  did  so  he  fired  with  a  rifle  and  killed  the 
officer  of  the  deck,  Acting  Ensign  Howard.  The  explosion  of 
the  torpedo  threw  up  a  column  of  water  which  swamped  the 
boat.  Glassell  and  one  man  jumped  overboard  and  swam  to  a 
coal  schooner  near  by  and  were  made  prisoners.  The  engineer, 
Mr.  Tombs,  and  the  pilot  and  another  man  clung  to  the  boat, 
and  as  she  drifted  up  the  harbor  with  the  flood  tide  they 
succeeded  in  getting  into  her  and  raising  steam  again.  They 
got  back  safely  to  Charleston.  Glassell  was  sent  to  Fort  War 
ren,  and  was  exchanged  in  1864.  He  was  promoted  for  his 
services  in  the  Ironsides  affair.  After  the  war  I  met  him  in 
California,  where  he  died  about  1875.  He  wras  a  zealous  officer 
and  a  gentleman  born  and  bred.  The  New  Ironsides  was  not 
materially  damaged  by  the  explosion  of  the  torpedo. 

At  the  time  I  went  down  to  the  Edisto  to  attack  the  monitors 
my  old  friend  and  shipmate,  Rear  Admiral  Daniel  Ammen,  wras 
the  senior  officer  in  command  of  them.  After  the  war,  when  I 
was  commanding  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company's  steam 
ship  Colorado  running  between  San  Francisco  and  Panama,  he 
took  passage  with  me  to  Panama  being  then  on  his  return  home 
from  China.  In  a  trip  of  fourteen  days  we  naturally  fought 
our  battles  o'er  again.  He  told  me  all  about  my  deserter,  and 
said  he  had  given  him  very  accurate  information;  as  I  supposed 
he  would  do. 


322        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Upon  my  return  to  Charleston  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Mallory,  our  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  directing  me  to  make  out 
an  estimate  for  books,  apparatus,  &c.,  necessary  for  the  estab 
lishment  of  a  naval  school.  I  accordingly  did  so,  and  sent  it 
as  instructed  to  the  house  of  Fraser  &  Trenholm  who  were  to 
direct  their  agent  to  purchase  the  articles  required  in  England. 
Soon  after  this  I  received  orders  to  report  in  person  at  the 
Navy  Department  in  Richmond.  I  parted  with  my  shipmates 
in  the  Palmetto  State  with  much  regret.  Lieutenant  Philip 
Porcher  succeeded  me  as  her  executive  officer.  These  two  fine 
iron-clads,  the  Chicora  and  Palmetto  State,  assisted  in  the  de 
fence  of  Charleston  until  it  was  evacuated  by  the  Confederates, 
February  18th,  1865.  They  were  then  set  on  fire  by  their 
captains  and  blown  up. 


THE  CONFEDERATE  NA  VAL  ACADEMY.        323 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  CONFEDERATE  NAVAL  ACADEMY — THE  SCHOOL- 
SHIP  <(  PATRICK  HENRY  " — CAPTURE  OF  THE  U.  S.  S.  "  UNDERWRITER  " — 
THE  IRON-CLADS  "  VIRGINIA,"  "  RICHMOND"  AND  "  FREDERICKSBURG*' 
— THE  DEFENCE  OF  JAMES  RIVER  BY  TORPEDOES — CAPTAIN  HUNTER  DA 
VIDSON — HIS  ATTACK  ON  THE  U.  S.  S.  "  MINNESOTA" — OPENING  OF  THE 
CAMPAIGN  OF  1864 — GENERAL  BUTLER'S  LOST  OPPORTUNITY — BATTLE  OF 

DRURY'S  BLUFF — i  AM  ORDERED  TO  COMMAND  THE  IRON-CLAD  "  RICH 
MOND" — TRENT'S  REACH. 

I  WAS  not  unwilling  to  leave  Charleston  for  the  James  river, 
because  I  thought  the  enemy  would  not  make  another  attempt 
there  for  some  time,  and  I  thought  there  would  be  a  better  op 
portunity  to  see  service  on  the  James  river  ;  but  hardly  had  I 
reported  to  the  Secretary  in  Richmond  when  we  got  news 
that  the  iron-clads  had  reappeared  off  Charleston,  July  10th, 
1863. 

This  was  in  fact  the  beginning  of  the  combined  operations 
of  General  Gilmore  and  Admiral  Dahlgren  on  Morris  island, 
which  finally  led  to  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Wagner.  This 
was  about  all  that  General  Gilmore  and  Admiral  Dahlgren 
did  do  towards  taking  Charleston.  The  evacuation  of  Fort 
Wagner  was  most  skilfully  performed ;  and  Captain  William 
Henry  Ward,  of  the  Palmetto  State,  superintended  the  hand 
ling  of  the  boats  on  that  occasion ;  though  I  believe  he  has 
never  received  credit  for  it. 

Upon  hearing  the  news  of  the  arrival  of  the  monitors  off 
Charleston,  I  was  inclined  to  insist  upon  returning  to  the  Pal 
metto  State ;  but  the  Secretary  declaring  that  he  particularly 
wished  me  to  remain  on  the  James  river,  I  gave  it  up.  It  was 
now  determined  that  the  steamship  Patrick  Henry  should  be 
converted  into  a  school-ship — this  was  a  pet  scheme  of  Mr.  Mai- 


324        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

lory's  and  he  should  be  entitled  to  reap  the  credit  of  the  re 
sults,  which  I  will  show  hereafter  were  much  greater  than  were 
at  that  time  anticipated.  The  ship  was  to  be  kept  fully  manned 
and  armed,  and  to  remain  at  anchor  off  Drury's  Bluff  to  assist 
in  the  defence  of  the  river  when  necessary.  We  made  some 
alterations  in  her  quarters,  to  enable  her  to  accommodate  the 
large  number  of  midshipmen  we  expected  ;  and  in  the  fall  of 
1863,  the  First  Session  of  the  Confederate  States  Naval  Aca 
demy  opened  with  a  full  and  very  efficient  corps  of  professors 
and  about  50  midshipmen. 

I  have  no  notes ;  but  I  think  the  Academic  Staff  at  this  time 
was  as  follows : 

Captain  William  H.  Parker,  Superintendent. 

Lieut.  B.  P.  Loyall,  Commandant  of  Midshipmen. 

"       W.  B.  Hall,  Professor   of  Astronomy,  Navigation 

and  Surveying. 

Lieut.  Davies,  Assistant. 

"       Graves,  Instructor  in  Seamanship. 

"       Billups,  Assistant. 

11       Comstock,  Instructor  in  Gunnery. 

Professor  George  W.  Peek,  Mathematics. 

"         Armstead,  Physics. 

"        Huck,  English  Literature. 

"        Peple,  French  and  German. 

"        Sanxey,  Infantry  Tactics. 

There  were  some  changes  among  the  lieutenants  at  different 
times,  but  the  professors — all  of  whom  had  served  in  the  army 
up  to  this  time — remained  until  we  broke  up,  which  was  not 
until  the  end  of  the  wrar.  The  exercises  of  the  school  went  on 
regularly  through  the  exciting  times  of  1864-5,  only  inter 
rupted  by  details  of  officers  and  men  for  the  several  cutting- 
out  expeditions.  A  foremast  with  a  complete  set  of  yards 
and  sails,  was  put  in  the  ship ;  and  the  midshipmen  were 
given  as  much  instruction  in  practical  seamanship  as  the  cir 
cumstances  would  admit  of.  The  senior  classes  were  regularly 
graduated  as  Passed  Midshipmen,  and  sent  to  the  various  ves- 


THE  SCHOOL  SHIP  "PATRICK  HENRY."        325 

sels  in  commission,  where  they  rendered  good  service  as  ord 
nance  and  drill  officers.  They  were  all  also  skilful  in  the 
handling  of  boats.  These  young  gentlemen  were,  at  first,  very 
loth  to  come  to  the  ship  and  take  up  their  books ;  but  when 
they  found  that  it  resulted  in  their  returning  to  their  ships  as 
passed  midshipmen,  eligible  to  promotion  to  the  grade  of  lieu 
tenant,  they  became  reconciled  to  it.  I  need  not  say  that  we 
felt  very  much  the  want  of  educated  junior  officers  in  the 
Confederate  Navy.  The  Volunteer  Navy  contained  many 
lieutenants  who  had  never  been  to  sea — men  who  did  not 
know  a  ship  from  a  brig — who  wrote  in  their  logs  such  re 
marks  as :  "  the  moon  was  over  the  port  bow,  and  the  wind 
was  hard  a-starboard."  These  gentlemen  were  officers  of 
the  navy  without  being  naval  officers,  a  distinction  which 
does  not  seem  to  be  properly  appreciated  even  at  the  pre 
sent  day. 

The  secretary  of  the  navy  took  much  interest  in  the  School, 
as  I  have  said,  and  our  annual  examinations  were  largely 
attended.  We  had  an  exceptionally  good  corps  of  professors ; 
they  were  men  before  they  became  teachers.  All  who  at 
tended  our  examinations  spoke  highly  of  the  school,  and  the 
graduates  were  much  prized  by  their  commanding  officers. 
For  my  own  part  it  has  since  very  often  been  a  subject  of — I 
was  going  to  say  pride,  but  I  only  had  a  share  in  it — but  I 
will  say  gratulation  that  the  Naval  School  was  established  and 
carried  on  as  well  as  it  was  under  the  almost  insuperable 
difficulties  in  the  way.  It  has  often  occurred  to  me  that  in 
all  the  losses  of  the  war,  here  at  least,  was  something  saved  in 
the  education,  partial  though  it  was,  of  the  Confederate  mid 
shipmen.  After  the  war  many  of  them  went  to  sea  and  some 
rose  to  important  commands,  to  wrhich  their  school-ship  educa 
tion  materially  helped  them.  Only  the  other  day  one  of 
them  told  me  that  immediately  after  the  war  he  shipped 
before  the  mast  in  a  vessel  bound  to  Liverpool  from  Balti 
more.  Ambitious  and  determined  to  rise,  he  carried  with  him 
a  sextant  as  part  of  his  outfit.  When  the  ship  got  to  sea  he 


326       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

went  up  to  "  take  the  sun ;"  and  at  the  sight  of  this  unusual 
proceeding  of  a  foremost-hand  the  captain  sent  for  him  to 
make  some  inquiries.  My  young  friend  told  him  he  had  never 
been  to  sea,  but  had  learned  some  navigation  on  board  the 
school-ship  Patrick  Henry.  "  Well"  said  this  old  salt,  "  you 
may  know  something  about  it  theodically,  but  you  don't 

know  a  d d  thing  about  it  practically.     This  was  true 

enough  at  the  time ;  but  he  soon  did  know  something  of  it 
practically,  and  in  a  few  years  had  a  much  better  command 
than  his  captain.  During  my  service  in  the  Pacific  Mail 
Steamship  Company,  from  1865  to  1874,  I  met  many  of  my 
former  pupils  in  the  Pacific,  and  all  were  doing  well.  Among 
them  I  may  mention  young  Jeff  Howell  who  commanded  a 
steamer  on  the  northern  coast.  He  was  drowned  by  his 
steamer  being  run  down ;  but  was  as  fine  a  seaman  for  his 
years  as  I  have  ever  seen.  Of  my  own  knowledge  I  can  name 
quite  a  number  of  our  midshipmen  who  are  now  ministers, 
lawyers,  merchants,  etc.  So,  as  I  have  said,  something  was 
saved  from  the  Confederacy,  and  I  had  a  share  in  saving  it. 

The  ship  lying  with  the  other  vessels  of  the  squadron  abreast 
Drury's  Bluff,  just  above  our  obstructions  in  the  river,  made  the 
officers  and  men  feel  that  they  were  not  withdrawn  from  active 
service.  It  was  not  like  being  shut  up  in  a  bomb-proof;  for 
their  vessel  was  performing  the  same  duty  as  the  others.  A 
detail  from  the  ship  under  the  executive  officer,  Lieutenant 
Benjamin  P.  Loyall,  went  with  Commander  John  T.  Wood  and 
assisted  at  the  capture  of  the  U.  S.  steamer  Underwriter,  Feb 
ruary  2,  1864.  The  Underwriter  was  lying  in  the  Neuse  river 
above  the  town  of  Newbern,  N.  C.  She  was  boarded  by  our 
party  in  boats  and  captured.  As  she  could  not  be  carried  up 
the  river  she  was  burned.  Palmer  Saunders,  one  of  our  mid 
shipmen,  was  killed  in  this  affair.  He  was  a  mere  boy,  but  a 
gallant  one.  The  seaman  who  killed  him — a  petty  officer  of 
the  Underwriter,  and  fine  fellow  himself — told  a  friend  of  mine 
after  the  battle  that  he  very  much  regretted  having  to  do  so, 
seeing  his  youth ;  but  Saunders  and  another  midshipman 


THE  WINTER  OF  1864.  327 

attacked  him  with  such  impetuosity  that  he  was  forced  to  cut 
him  down  in  self-defence.  Lieutenant  Loyall  for  his  gallantry 
upon  this  occasion  was  made  a  commander,  and  a  few  months 
later  was  sent  to  Kingston  on  the  Neuse  river  to  superintend 
the  building  of  an  iron-clad  there.  The  vessel  was  built,  and 
when  about  ready  had  to  be  burned  to  prevent  her  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy.  This  W7as  not  Captain  Loyall's  fault ; 
but  somehow  during  the  war  it  was  the  fate  of  a  good  many  of 
the  vessels  built  by  our  secretary.  It  would  surprise  even  the 
Confederates  if  a  list  could  be  made  out  showing  the  large 
number  of  vessels  we  built  in  out-of-the-way  places  during  the 
war.  They  were  mostly  burned.  They  were  always  finished 
just  too  late.  The  most  noted  case  was  that  of  the  iron-clad 
ram  Mississippi  built  at  New  Orleans  and  nearly  ready  when 
Farragut  captured  the  city.  She  was  the  most  powerful  vessel 
built  at  the  south  during  the  war,  and  it  is  supposed  would 
have  been  able  to  destroy  Farragut's  entire  fleet ;  but  she  was 
not  quite  ready  and  was  burned.  Treason  was  said  to  be  at 
the  bottom  of  this  affair ;  but  I  knew  nothing  about  it  myself. 
We  felt  the  loss  of  Captain  Loyall  very  much.  A  highly 
accomplished  officer,  a  good  disciplinarian,  and  much  beloved 
by  all,  but  especially  by  the  midshipmen,  he  left  us  with  our 
earnest  prayers  for  his  future  success.  They  have  been  ful 
filled,  for  the  man  who  would  grace  the  quarter  deck  of  a 
vessel  in  any  navy  lives  now  in  Norfolk  a  successful  merchant 
and  an  honored  citizen. 

During  the  winter  of  1864  we  remained  quietly  attending  to 
our  duties ;  the  monotony  only  being  broken  by  the  affair  of 
the  Underwriter.  The  squadron  on  the  river  at  this  time  con 
sisted  of  the  iron-clads  Virginia,  Richmond  and  Fredericksburg, 
and  the  gunboats  Nansemond,  Hampton,  Drury,  Roanoke,  Beau 
fort  and  Raleigh.  The  Virginia  was  a  very  powerful  vessel. 
She,  like  the  others,  was  after  the  plan  of  the  Merrimac  with 
the  exception  of  the  submerged  ends.  I  think  the  Virginia 
had  6  inches  of  iron  on  her  sides  and  8  inches  on  her  ends. 
The  Fredericksburg  was  the  lightest  and  weakest  vessel  of  the 


328        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

three.  She  had,  perhaps,  4  inches  iron.  Each  of  these  iron 
clads  carried  four  heavy  Brooke  rifle  guns  as  well  as  I  recollect. 
The  squadron  was  commanded  by  Flag  Officer  French  For 
rest  ;  an  officer  who  had  a  fine  record  in  the  Mexican  war. 
He  was  a  man  of  undoubted  courage  and  would  have  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  this  war  had  he  had  the  opportunity. 
During  the  spring  of  1864,  as  the  winter  broke  up,  we  had 
fearful  freshets  in  the  river ;  and  much  as  I  had  seen  of  the 
sea  I  do  not  know  that  anything  ever  impressed  me  with  the 
power  of  water  more  than  these  freshets.  Our  ships  made  some 
narrow  escapes  of  being  wrecked  on  the  obstructions  by  the 
floating  masses  of  timber  getting  across  their  bows ;  but  by 
hauling  in  close  to  the  bank  at  Drury's  Bluff  we  managed  to 
hold  on.  Drury's  Bluff  is  about  six  miles  below  Richmond  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  river ;  and  a  few  miles  below  on  the 
other  side  was  a  fort  at  Chapin's  Bluff.  Below  these  two  for 
tifications  the  approaches  were  guarded  by  torpedoes.  These 
torpedoes  constituted  the  most  formidable  defence  of  the  city 
of  Richmond  on  the  water  side.  Lieutenant  Hunter  David 
son  had  been  in  charge  of  this  important  branch  of  defence  for 
about  a  year ;  he  found  it  in  an  embryo  state,  and  by  his 
energy  and  perseverance  he  brought  it  to  perfection.  To  him 
should  be  given  much  credit  for  the  defence  of  the  river  in  the 
summer  of  1864.  He  had  a  small  steamer  in  which  he  visited 
his  batteries  (for  his  torpedoes  were  exploded  by  electricity), 
and  being  a  man  of  much  ingenuity  as  well  as  untiring  energy 
he  kept  everything  in  his  department  in  perfect  order;  he 
had  under  him  a  small  corps  of  intelligent  and  courageous 
men.  During  the  winter  he  had  had  built  in  Richmond  a 
small  boat  propelled  by  steam.  She  was  a  screw  and  was  fitted 
with  a  torpedo.  She  was  about  25  feet  long  and  4  wide,  and 
carried  four  men,  who  were  protected  against  musketry  by  a 
steel  shield.  The  torpedo  staff  was  about  15  feet  long  and 
was  fitted  to  the  stem ;  it  could  be  triced  up  and  lowered  at 
pleasure.  The  engine  was  built  in  Richmond.  I  made  several 
trips  in  this  little  boat,  and  when  she  was  running  at  about 


THE  WILDERNESS.  329 

half  or  three-quarter  speed  the  engine  made  absolutely  no 
noise.  Her  speed  was  ten  miles  per  hour. 

In  this  boat  Davidson  went  down  the  river,  and  on  the  night 
of  April  9,  1864,  he  rammed  the  U.  S.  frigate  Minnesota,  lying 
off  Newport's  News.  He  struck  her  just  abaft  the  port  main- 
chains,  and  exploded  the  torpedo.  The  frigate  was  not  much 
damaged,  but  when  it  is  considered  that  Davidson  was  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  outside  of  our  lines,  and  that  the  Min 
nesota  was  guarded  by  tug-boats,  having  one  towing  astern  at 
the  time  in  fact,  the  boldness  of  the  act  will  be  appreciated.  He 
was  made  a  Commander  for  it.  The  little  boat  did  not  suffer  at 
all  from  the  shock ;  and  the  torpedo  staff  was  not  even  splintered. 

Speaking  of  torpedoes  reminds  me  of  a  laughable  incident. 
Our  river  steamers  went  down  to  City  Point  occasionally  with 
prisoners  to  exchange.  As  we  had  torpedoes  in  the  river  any 
where  from  Drury's  Bluff  to  Trent's  reach,  and  below,  their 
captains  ran  great  risks.  On  one  occasion  two  of  our  boats 
were  returning  from  City  Point,  fortunately  with  no  passengers, 
when  one  of  them  struck  a  torpedo  and  immediately  went  down. 
A  boat  went  from  the  other  steamer  and  found  the  captain 
struggling  in  the  water,  with  a  Webster's  Unabridged  Diction 
ary  in  his  arms.  As  he  was  pulled  into  the  boat  he  said :  "  I 
did  not  have  time  to  get  it  on."  He  thought  he  had  seized  a 
life-preserver ! 

The  campaign  of  1864  opened  with  the  battles  in  the  Wil 
derness  between  General  Lee  and  his  new  opponent,  General 
Grant.  Drury's  Bluff  was  at  this  time  commanded  by  Captain 
Sidney  Smith  Lee,  a  brother  of  the  General,  and  I  spent 
many  evenings  with  him  talking  over  the  news  from  the  battle 
fields.  I  confess  that  I  did  not  like  the  look  of  things  from 
the  beginning  :  it  seemed  to  me  that  if  it  had  been  McClellan, 
Burnside,  or  any  of  the  other  generals  who  had  been  in  com 
mand  of  the  Federal  Army,  that  the  two  or  three  first  battles 
would  have  ended  the  campaign  for  that  year — such  having 
been  my  observations  of  the  previous  ones — but  when  I  found 
General  Grant  holding  on  with  bulldog  tenacity,  in  spite  of  his 


330       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER 

heavy  losses,  knowing  as  I  did  his  powerful  supports  and  re 
inforcements  ;  and  knowing  equally  that  we  had  given  General 
Lee  pretty  much  all  the  men  we  had,  I  began  to  fear  for  the 
safety  of  the  capital.  Many  others  did  also,  I  presume ;  but 
we  never  acknowledged  it  to  each  other — all  preserved  a  cheer 
ful  countenance. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  1864,  Major  Frank  Smith,  temporarily 
commanding  the  post  at  Drury's  Bluff  in  the  absence  of  Colo 
nel  Terrett,  came  on  board  the  Patrick  Henry,  about  2  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  Captain  Robert  Pegram  happening  to  be  in 
Richmond,  I  was  the  senior  officer  on  the  river.  Walking  into 
my  cabin,  the  major  showed  me  several  dispatches  from  the 
signal  officers  on  the  river  below  City  Point  to  the  effect  that 
a  "  large  number  of  gunboats  and  transports  were  coming  up 
the  river."  Whilst  I  was  reading  the  dispatches  a  messenger 
came  off  from  the  shore  with  another,  saying  the  enemy 
were  landing  at  Bermuda  Hundred.  We  saw  at  once  that 
Drury's  Eluff  was  threatened,  and  we  had  hardly  any  troops 
there.  I  went  on  shore  with  all  the  sailors  we  could  spare 
from  the  squadron,  and  we  manned  the  inner  line  of  the  de 
fences.  We  had  not  men  enough  to  attempt  to  hold  the  outer 
lines. 

We  soon  knew  that  a  large  force  was  landed  at  Bermuda 
Hundred,  only  twelve  miles  below  us,  and  with  a  good  road 
to  Drury's  Bluff  and  Richmond,  we  expected  to  see  the 
head  of  their  column  at  any  moment.  As  our  signal  officers 
had  now  fallen  back  from  their  stations  at  Bermuda  Hundred, 
we  had  to  rely  upon  our  scouts  for  information ;  and  as  these 
were  men  who  had  been  long  in  garrison  their  work  was 
imperfectly  done,  and  our  dispatches  became  very  unreliable. 
We  could  get  no  authentic  information  as  to  the  number  of 
the  enemy  and  their  movements.  Dispatches  were  sent  to 
Richmond  and  to  General  Lee  stating  our  situation  and  asking 
for  reinforcements.  We  remained  all  night  in  this  condition, 
expecting  an  attack  at  any  moment,  and  knowing  we  had  not 
men  enough  to  resist  it.  Drury's  Bluff  overlooks  the  river, 


FORT  DRURY.  331 

and  our  vessels  lying  under  it  could  render  us  no  assistance  as 
they  could  not  elevate  their  guns  sufficiently  to  bear. 

About  daylight  we  were  very  much  relieved  by  the  arrival 
of  General  Bushrod  Johnson,  with  his  fine  brigade  of  Ten- 
nesseeans.  He  assumed  the  command  ;  but  at  10  o'clock  the 
same  morning  he  received  orders  to  move  off  in  the  direction 
of  our  right  flank ;  and  although  this  left  us  again  exposed 
to  an  attack  by  the  river-road,  he  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to 
remain,  and  at  noon  he  moved  out.  Captain  Pegram  and 
Colonel  Terrett  had  by  this  time  arrived  and  resumed  their 
commands.  I  had  gone  on  board  my  ship  to  dinner  when 
a  messenger  came  in  hot  haste  from  Captain  Pegram  re 
questing  my  return  to  the  Bluff.  In  answer  to  my  question  he 
informed  me  that  the  enemy  were  close  at  hand,  and  that  our 
troops  had  abandoned  the  attempt  to  hold  the  intrenchments 
and  were  assembling  inside  Fort  Drury,  an  enclosed  earth 
work  that  commanded  the  river  principally,  though  there 
were  some  guns  pointing  landward.  Upon  getting  on  shore 
I  found  such  to  be  the  case,  and  I  went  into  the  fort  with  my 
crew  intending  to  share  the  fate  of  the  garrison.  Provisions 
and  ammunition  were  hastily  put  in.  Captain  Pegram  made 
arrangements  by  which  we  could  communicate  with  the  vessels 
and  be  supplied  with  provisions  in  the  case  of  an  investment. 
He  himself  returned  to  his  ship  as  he  did  not  think  it  proper 
that  he  should  run  the  risk  of  being  cut  off  from  the  squadron — 
nor  did  I. 

We  waited  for  some  hours  but  the  enemy  did  not  appear. 
General  Butler  lost  his  opportunity.  Had  he  advanced  imme 
diately  upon  landing,  or  even  the  next  day,  Richmond  would 
have  been  in  his  possession  by  the  afternoon  of  the  6th  of 
May.  We  had  no  troops  to  oppose  the  movement  successfully, 
and  although  the  iron-clads  and  gunboats  might  have  operated 
on  his  flank  and  annoyed  it  considerably,  they  could  not  have 
prevented  his  advance.  I  know  it  now,  and  I  knew  it  then. 
Twenty-four  hours  after  the  landing  at  Bermuda  Hundred 
the  Federal  army  could  have  been  in  Richmond.  With 


332        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

Drury's  Bluff  and  fortifications  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  we 
could  not  have  prevented  their  fleet  from  raising  and  passing 
the  obstructions.  Our  iron-clads  could  not  resist  the  15-inch 
shot,  as  I  have  good  reason  to  know,  and  would  have  been 
overpowered  and  captured.  The  Federal  fleet  would  soon 
have  been  off  the  city.  But  all  this  was  not  to  be.  During 
the  night  of  the  6th  troops  came  pouring  in,  and  by  the  next 
day  we  felt  able  to  hold  Fort  Drury  and  all  the  fortifications 
in  connection  with  it. 

While  Butler's  troops  were  landing  at  Bermuda  Hundred, 
Admiral  8.  P.  Lee,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Federal  fleet 
on  the  river,  sent  his  small  steamers  up  above  City  Point  to 
drag  for  torpedoes.  While  engaged  in  this  work  the  steamer 
Commodore  Jones  was  blown  up  by  one  of  them  near  Four 
mile  creek.  It  was  discharged  from  the  shore  by  electricity. 
This  made  the  enemy  very  cautious  in  their  advance  by  the 
river.  Admiral  Lee  in  a  dispatch  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  dated  May  13th,  says:  "General  Butler  asks  for  moni 
tors  above  Trent's  reach.  Torpedoes,  commanded  by  rebels 
on  the  left  bank,  which  commands  our  decks,  and  shoal  water, 
by  chart  several  feet  less  than  the  monitors  draw,  make  difficult 
the  advance  which  I  shall  push  to-morrow  morning."  This 
goes  to  corroborate  what  I  have  before  said  in  regard  to  the 
efficiency  of  Captain  Davidson's  work  ;  though  if,  as  the  admi 
ral  says,  there  was  less  water  by  several  feet  in  the  river  than  the 
monitors  drew,  the  torpedoes  might  as  well  have  been  anywhere 
else.  General  Butler  having  failed  to  avail  himself  of  his 
grand  opportunity  now  advanced  to  invest  Fort  Drury ;  but 
General  Beauregard  was  in  command  there,  and  had  collected 
men  enough  not  only  to  hold  the  fort  but  to  justify  an  advance. 
He  accordingly  attacked  General  Butler  on  the  16th  of  May 
and  drove  him  back  in  the  direction  of  City  Point  again.  The 
failure  of  a  column  from  Petersburg  to  co-operate  prevented 
General  Beauregard  from  gaining  the  great  victory  he  would 
otherwise  have  done.  As  it  was  he  took  many  prisoners  and 
drove  Butler  back  until  his  right  rested  on  the  river  at  How- 


A  LAND  EXGAG3MENT.  333 

lets  on  Trent's  reach,  and  there  it  remained  till  the  close  of  the 
war.  Our  forces  threw  up  a  battery  at  Howlets  to  command 
Trent's  reach,  and  held  it  until  Kichmond  was  evacuated. 
While  this  fight  between  Beauregard  and  Butler  was  going  on 
our  vessels  remained  inactive  on  the  river,  not  being  able  to 
render  any  assistance.  I  recollect  being  very  much  astonished 
at  the  noise  made  by  the  musketry  firing  on  this  occasion.  I 
had  never  witnessed  a  great  battle  on  shore  before,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  a  million  of  men  could  not  have  made  more 
noise.  The  prisoners  sent  in  to  the  Bluff  were  Germans.  I 
think  we  captured  the  whole  of  Benker's  brigade.  It  was 
hard  to  find  a  man  in  it  who  could  speak  English. 

The  James  river  squadron  was  now  re-organized.  Flag  Offi 
cer  John  K.  Mitchell  was  placed  in  command  of  it.  Captain 
E.  B.  Pegram  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Virginia ;  Captain 
T.  M.  Kootes  of  the  Fredericksburg ;  and  I  was  given  the  com 
mand  of  the  Richmond .  The  Patrick  Henry  was  left  in  charge 
of  the  executive  officer,  as  the  secretary  intended  that  I  should 
resume  the  command  of  her  at  the  close  of  the  summer's  cam 
paign.  Captain  Kootes  was  an  old  shipmate  of  mine ;  he  was 
the  executive  officer  of  the  Yorktown  when  she  was  wrecked 
September  5,  1850.  Captain  Pegram  who  was  assigned  to  the 
Virginia  was  a  gallant  officer.  He  distinguished  himself  in 
China  in  1855  in  an  attack  on  Chinese  pirates,  in  conjunc 
tion  with  a  British  force  under  Captain  Fellowes  R.  N. 
Lieutenant  Pegram,  with  two  boats  and  120  men,  and  Cap 
tain  Fellowes,  with  three  boats  and  60  men,  attacked  a  large 
number  of  junks  carrying,  it  was  supposed,  100  guns  and  over 
a  thousand  men.  They  captured  or  destroyed  most  of  them. 
For  this  service  Captain  Fellowes  was  promptly  promoted  by 
his  government.  Our  Secretary  of  the  Navy  rewarded  Peg 
ram  by  writing  him  that  the  correspondence  between  Admiral 
Sterling,  R.  K,  and  himself  in  reference  to  the  affair,  "  should 
be  put  on  file."  The  State  of  Virginia,  with  a  better  appreci 
ation  of  his  conduct,  presented  him  with  a  sword.  Pegram, 
with  a  party  under  his  command  saved  all  the  powder  in  the 


334       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

Norfolk  magazine  for  the  confederacy.  He  afterwards  made 
a  run  to  England  and  back  in  the  Confederate  cruiser  Nash 
ville.  In  the  British  Channel  he  burned  the  American  ship 
Harvey  Birch. 

All  of  our  vessels  on  the  James  river,  iron-clads  and  gun 
boats,  had  torpedoes  attached  to  their  bows  this  summer.  We 
used  occasionally  to  have  exercises  under  steam,  somewhat 
after  the  style  of  the  "  Georgia  Theatricals,"  to  show  how  we 
could  have  "  font !"  The  first  time  we  tried  it  two  of  the  gun 
boats  collided  and  punched  holes  in  each  other ;  fortunately, 
the  torpedoes  were  not  loaded.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
the  river  was  very  narrow,  and  this  calls  to  mind  what  I  have 
previously  said  concerning  the  monitor  class  of  vessels.  Their 
not  having  to  manoeuvre  gives  them  great  advantage  in  narrow 
channels.  The  monitor,  in  fact,  is  a  movable  fort,  and  is  spe 
cially  valuable  for  harbor  defence. 

It  was  now  decided  to  remove  the  obstructions  sufficiently  to 
permit  the  passage  of  our  vessels  ;  and  at  the  end  of  May  the 
entire  squadron  went  through  and  anchored  off  Chapin's  Bluff. 
Our  vessels  should  have  been  sent  below  some  time  before 
this.  The  enemy  were  dragging  the  river  above  Trent's  reach 
for  torpedoes  with  their  tugs  and  small  boats ;  and  our  gun 
boats  should  have  been  on  hand  to  prevent  it.  They  all  had 
long-range  guns,  and  could  have  rendered  good  service  in  this 
way.  But  the  fact  is,  the  authorities  were  very  reluctant 
to  remove  the  obstructions. 

We  were  very  much  surprised  to  find  on  the  15th  of  June 
that  the  enemy  himself  had  obstructed  the  river  at  Trent's 
reach,  abreast  of  General  Butler's  right  flank.  There  were 
several  monitors  anchored  in  the  .reach  at  the  time.  It  re 
minded  me  of  a  circumstance  I  had  read  of  in  the  war  of  1812 : 
After  the  capture  of  Washington  by  the  British  under  General 
Ross,  our  forces  retreated  across  the  great  bridge  into  Vir 
ginia  ;  and  we  broke  down  our  end  of  the  bridge  so  that  the 
British  should  not  cross  in  pursuit ;  and  they  broke  down  their 
end  so  that  the  Americans  should  not  return  to  attack  them. 


TRENT'S  EEA  Off.  335 

The  Federal  naval  officers  were  mortified  at  this  act,  as 
they  thought  it  had  the  appearance  of  their  not  being  willing 
to  meet  our  iron-clads.  I  believe  General  Grant  himself  in 
sisted  upon  its  being  done,  as  he  felt  the  necessity  of  absolute 
security  to  his  base  of  supplies  at  City  Point. 

There  was  much  "  fencing "  between  Admiral  Lee  and 
General  Butler  as  to  which  should  bear  the  responsibility 
of  closing  the  river.  The  correspondence  between  these 
two  officers  on  this  point  is  very  curious  reading.  Admi 
ral  Lee,  in  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  June  7, 
1864,  says  :  "  The  navy  is  not  accustomed  to  putting  down 
obstructions  before  it,  and  the  act  might  be  construed  as  imply 
ing  an  admission  of  superiority  of  resources  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy.  The  object  of  the  operation  would  be  to  make  the 
river  more  secure  against  the  attempts  of  the  enemy  upon  our 
vessels  by  fire  and  explosive  rafts,  followed  by  torpedoes  and 
iron-clad  vessels  and  boats.  Of  course,  myself  and  officers  de 
sire  the  opportunity  of  encountering  the  enemy,  and  feel  reluc 
tant  to  discourage  his  approach.  But  the  point  of  embarrass 
ment  with  me  is  the  consequences  that  would  follow  a  failure 
of  the  campaign,  should  the  novel  plans  of  the  enemy  succeed 
in  crippling  the  monitor  force." 

All  of  which  reads  as  though  it  were  a  case  of: 

"  He  can  and  he  can't,  he  will  and  he  won't ; 
He'll  be  d— d  if  he  does,  and  he'll  be  d— d  if  he  don't." 

These  obstructions  in  Trent's  reach  remained  until  the  end 
of  the  war,  and  the  monitors  never  went  above  them  until  that 
time. 


336       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

CURIOUS  TARGET  PRACTICE — ATTACK  ON  THE  MONITORS  IN  TRENT'S  REACH, 
JUNE  21,  1864 — THE  CONFEDERATE  IRON-CLAD  "  ALBEMARLE  "  AND 
HER  ENGAGEMENTS— CAPTAIN  JAMES  B.  COOKE — LIEUTENANT  W.  B. 
GUSHING — THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  KEARSARGE — THE  FLORIDA  AND  THE 
WACHUSETT — ATTEMPT  TO  GET  OUR  IRON-GLADS  TO  CITY  POINT — ITS 
FAILURE — BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  GUNBOAT  DRURY — GENERAL  JOSEPH 
E.  JOHNSTON  AND  PRESIDENT  DAVIS — VICE  PRESIDENT  STEPHENS — THE 
CONFEDERATE  GOVERNMENT — STATE  OF  AFFAIRS  IN  RICHMOND  AND  ON 
JAMES  RIVER  IN  MARCH,  1865. 

ABOUT  this  time  I  accompanied  Commodore  Mitchell  several 
times  to  General  Beauregard's  headquarters.  The  commodore 
was  in  constant  communication  with  the  general ;  but  I  am 
unable  to  say  what  their  plans  were.  On  the  19th  of  June 
our  squadron  got  underweigh  from  the  anchorage  at  Chapin's 
Bluff  and  proceeded  down  the  river.  At  2  p.  M.  we  anchored 
off  upper  Howlets,  which  I  suppose  is  in  an  air  line  two  miles 
from  lower  Howlets  ;  but  by  the  river  much  farther.  A  refer 
ence  to  the  map  will  show  that  the  James  river  pursues  a  very 
circuituous  course  between  City  Point  and  Richmond.  It  is 
indicated  by  the  names,  such  as  Curl's  Neck,  Turkey  Bend, 
Dutch  Gap,  &c.  In  some  cases  a  distance  by  land  of  a  mile  re 
quires  eight  or  ten  to  accomplish  by  water.  From  our  anchor 
age  at  upper  Howlets  nothing  could  be  seen  of  the  monitors  in 
Trent's  reach — in  fact  we  were  anchored  under  a  bluff  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river.  General  Butler  had  erected  a  tower 
of  wood  at  Trent's  reach  perhaps  120  feet  high,  as  a  post  of 
observation.  It  gave  him  a  very  good  one.  Our  artillery 
officers  were  prevented  from  trying  to  destroy  it  by  the  scarcity 
of  ammunition.  We  could  see  the  top  of  this  tower  from  our 
anchorage,  and  of  course  the  masts  of  our  gunboats  were  visible 


CURIO  US  TARGET  PR  A  CTICE.  337 

from  it,  but  not  the  hulls.  We  had  been  at  anchor  an  hour  or 
two  not  expecting  a  movement  of  any  kind — indeed  I  was  sit 
ting  in  an  arm-chair  on  the  shield  of  the  Richmond  reading — 
when  a  shell  was  fired  from  one  of  the  monitors  in  our  direc 
tion.  It  exploded  just  at  the  river  bank  and  scattered  the 
pieces  about  the  forward  deck  of  the  Virginia,  wounding  three 
men.  Whilst  we  were  wondering  at  this,  another  shell  came 
and  exploded  just  after  it  had  passed  over  us,  and  again 
another.  As  we  could  not  return  the  fire,  and  there  was  no 
necessity  to  remain  and  be  made  a  target  of,  we  got  underweigh 
and  went  back  to  Chapin's  Bluff.  As  the  guns  had  to  be  pointed 
by  directions  from  those  in  the  tower  I  have  mentioned,  I 
thought  this  the  most  remarkable  shooting  I  had  ever  seen  or 
heard  of;  but  happening  to  mention  this  circumstance  after 
the  war  to  a  naval  officer  present  at  the  time  on  board  one  of 
the  monitors  he  informed  me  that  they  were  not  shooting  at 
us  at  all.  He  said  that  some  officials  had  come  from  Washing 
ton  on  a  visit,  and  they  wishing  to  see  a  large  gun  fired,  the 
monitors  had  obliged  them.  In  those  days  they  were  not 
particular  as  to  where  they  fired,  and  the  result  was  as  I  have 
mentioned.  A  curious  incident  certainly,  but  the  facts  were 
precisely  as  I  have  stated  them. 

The  authorities  in  Richmond  now  became  very  anxious  that 
the  navy  should  make  some  demonstration  on  the  river  in  order 
to  relieve  the  great  pressure  on  the  army.  Commodore  Mit 
chell  held  a  council  of  war ;  and  it  was  decided  to  attack  the 
monitors  lying  in  Trent's  reach,  at  long  range,  in  connection 
with  the  heavy  guns  we  had  by  this  time  mounted  at  Howlets. 
Our  vessels  could  not  go  fairly  up  to  the  obstructions  and  face 
the  monitors,  for  we  knew  that  the  Richmond  and  Fredericks- 
burg  could  not  stand  the  15-inch  shot.  We  thought  then  that 
the  Virginia  could,  but  were  afterward  undeceived. 

On  the  21st  of  June  the  vessels  got  underweigh,  and  stood 

down.     The  Fredericlcsburg  was  to  take  a  station  in  a  bend  in 

the  river,  about  two  miles  (in  an  air  line)  from  the  monitors, 

and  the  Virginia  and  Richmond,  with  the  gunboats,  were  to 

15 


338       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

anchor  on  the  north  side  of  Dutch  gap,  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  above  them.  In  getting  underweigh  my  vessel,  the  Rich 
mond,  parted  a  wheel-rope  and  it  got  wound  up  round  the 
shaft  and  disabled  her.  We  got  a  gunboat  to  tow  us  down, 
but  did  not  get  to  the  Virginia  until  the  afternoon.  We  only 
fired  a  few  shots.  The  whole  affair,  however,  was  a  fiasco.  We 
could  not  see  the  monitors,  and  they  could  not  see  us.  They 
were  not  hit  once  during  the  day  by  us,  and  the  reports  speak 
of  the  firing  of  our  vessels  as  extremely  wild.  How  could  it 
be  otherwise  under  the  circumstances  ?  The  battery  at  How- 
let's  struck  the  monitors  but  once.  The  fact  is  we  were  wrong 
in  yielding  to  the  clamor  of  the  army  to  "  do  something." 
We  knew  that  we  could  do  nothing  with  the  monitors  at 
long  range,  even  if  we  could  see  to  hit  them ;  we  knew 
equally  well  that  we  could  not  stand  the  effect  of  their 
guns  at  close  quarters.  We  might  have  gotten  our  gun 
boats  through  the  obstructions,  and  made  a  dash  at  them 
with  torpedoes ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  enemy 
had  a  battery  on  shore  to  cover  the  obstructions.  Our 
army  anticipated  a  great  naval  engagement  that  day,  and 
we  were  expected  to  accomplish  wonders.  The  soldiers  were 
all  on  the  lookout;  they  looked  to  see  us  run  over  the 
obstructions  like  smoke,  and  destroy  the  monitors  in  no  time. 
The  result  being  so  much  of  a  disappointment  to  them,  we  were 
much  ridiculed.  The  whole  affair  was  a  mortification  to  us  of 
the  navy.  From  this  time  until  the  close  of  the  summer  cam 
paign  we  remained  below  Chapin's  Bluff,  shelling  the  batteries 
put  up  by  the  enemy  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  occasionally, 
and  assisting  the  army  so  far  as  we  could.  The  enemy  made 
no  advance  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  but  advanced  on 
the  north  side.  On  the  19th  of  September,  1864,  the  Federals 
captured  Fort  Harrison,  near  Chapin's  Bluff. 

We  were  on  pretty  short  rations  in  the  squadron  this 
summer — the  allowance  was  half-a-pound  of  salt  pork  and 
three  biscuits  per  man  a  day.  A  permanent  bridge  was  built 
across  the  James  river  about  two  miles  below  the  city,  and  just 


THE  "ALBEMARLE"  AND  HER  ENGAGEMENTS.  339 

above  Drury's  bluff  was  a  pontoon  bridge.  General  Lee  had 
occasion  to  cross  his  men  from  one  side  to  the  other  frequently 
during  the  fall  and  winter — so  I  very  often  saw  portions  of 
his  army.  I  well  remember  the  appearance  of  the  poor 
fellows,  half-starved  and  badly  clothed  as  they  were.  They 
were  full  of  fight,  though,  and  showed  no  signs  of  giving  up. 
General  Grant  had  crossed  to  the  south  side  of  the  James 
river  on  the  14th  of  June,  after  his  bloody  repulse  at  Cold 
Harbor,  June  1st,  and  had  settled  down  to  the  siege  of  Peters 
burg.  All  eyes  were  consequently  turned  in  that  direction. 

In  the  squadron  we  were  gladdened  by  the  success  of  our 
iron-clad  ram  Albemarle,  which  vessel,  under  Captain  James 
B.  Cooke,  had  (after  overcoming  innumerable  difficulties)  suc 
ceeded  in  descending  the  Roanoke  river,  April  19th,  and  dis 
persing  the  Federal  squadron  off  Plymouth,  N.  C.  She  sunk 
the  steamer  Southfield,and  drove  the  other  vessels  off;  and  her 
presence  led  to  the  recapture  of  Plymouth  by  the  Confed 
erates. 

On  the  5th  of  May  the  Albemarle  started  from  Plymouth 
with  the  small  steamer  Bombshell  in  company,  on  what  was 
called  a  secret  expedition.  I  think  it  probable  the  intention 
was  to  destroy  the  wooden  men  of- war  in  the  sounds,  and  then 
tow  troops  in  barges  to  Hatteras  and  retake  it.  If  this  could 
have  been  done  the  Albemarle  would  have  had  it  all  her 
own  wray,  and  Roanoke  island,  Newbern  and  other  places 
would  again  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Confederates. 
Shortly  after  leaving  Plymouth  the  Albemarle  fell  in  with 
the  Federal  squadron,  consisting  of  the  steamers  Mattabesett, 
Sassacus,  Wyalusing,  Whitehead,  Miami,  Ceres,  Commodore 
Hull  and  Seymour — all  under  the  command  of  Captain  Melanc- 
ton  Smith,  and  after  a  desperate  combat  was  forced  to  return 
to  Plymouth.  Here  Captain  Cook  had  to  leave  her,  as  his 
health  was  much  broken  by  his  hard  work  and  previous 
wounds. 

The  Albemarle  was  sunk  by  a  torpedo-boat  under  Lieutenant 
W.  B.  Gushing,  U.  S.  K,  on  the  night  of  the  27th  of  October, 


340        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

1864 — one  of  the  most  dashing  acts  on  the  part  of  Lieutenant 
Gushing  ever  recorded  in  the  history  of  war.  Immediately 
after  the  Albemarle  was  sunk  Plymouth  again  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  I  had  not  known  Captain  Cook  in  the 
old  navy,  but  I  saw  enough  of  him  at  Roanoke  island  and 
Elizabeth  City  to  know  that  he  was  a  hard  fighter.  Few  men 
could  have  accomplished  what  he  did  in  taking  the  Albemarle 
down  the  river  with  the  carpenters  still  at  work  upon  her.  It 
was  only  done  by  his  energy  and  persistence.  He  was  deserv 
edly  promoted  for  his  services. 

Young  Gushing  had  been  a  pupil  of  mine  at  the  Naval 
Academy  in  1861.  He  was  rather  a  delicate-looking  youth ; 
fair,  with  regular,  clear-cut  features,  and  a  clear,  greyish-blue 
eye.  He  stood  low  in  his  classes.  He  was  first  brought  to 
my  notice  during  the  war  by  my  happening  to  get  hold  of  his 
report  of  the  loss  of  the  U.  S.  steamer  Ellis,  under  his  com 
mand,  at  New  River  inlet,  Nov.  24,  1862.  I  was  impressed 
with  this  part  of  his  official  report  (the  italics  are  mine)  :  "  and 
the  only  alternatives  left  wrere  a  surrender  or  a  pull  of  one  and 
a  half  miles  under  their  fire  in  my  small  boat.  The  first  of 
these  was  not,  of  course,  to  be  thought  of."  Knowing  him  to 
be  at  that  time  but  19  years  old,  I  comprehended  his  heroic 
qualities  and  was  not  at  all  surprised  to  hear  more  of  him. 
Immediately  after  the  war  I  went  to  San  Francisco,  and  my 
first  visitor  was  Gushing.  He  was  the  hero  of  the  hour,  and 
the  citizens  made  much  of  him.  Under  the  circumstances  I 
thought  he  conducted  himself  with  much  modesty.  He  died 
in  1874. 

But  if  we  were  gladdened  by  the  success  of  the  Albe 
marle  we  were  depressed  by  the  news  of  the  capture  of  the 
Alabama  by  the  Kearsarge  June  19,  1864.  This  action  has 
been  described  by  the  two  commanders,  and  by  English  and 
French  spectators,  so  that  we  now  know  all  about  it ;  but  the 
Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  his  report  for  1864  says  in  re 
lation  to  Captain  Semmes  and  his  surrender :  "  when  beaten 
and  compelled  to  surrender  he  threw  overboard  the  sword  that 


THE  "ALABAMA"  AND  THE  " KEARSARGE."    341 

was  no  longer  his  own."  "  Having  surrendered,  he  cannot  re 
lieve  himself  of  his  obligations  as  a  prisoner  of  war  until  he 
shall  be  regularly  exchanged."  As  the  captain  of  the  frigate 
Congress  acted  precisely  in  the  same  manner,  and  as  he  served 
without  being  regularly  exchanged  one  might  consider  this  a 
little  strained.  But  the  Hon.  Secretary  was  a  tremendous  fel 
low  with  his  pen,  as  we  shall  see  in  his  account  of  the  capture 
of  the  Florida  : 

"  He  could  distinguish  and  divide 
A  hair  'twixt  south  and  south-west  side." 

Captain  Semmes  in  his  report  of  the  combat  finds  fault  with 
Captain  Winslow  of  the  Kearsarge  for  "  faking"  his  chain  cables 
up  and  down  his  ship's  sides  so  as  to  protect  the  machinery 
and  boilers.  I  can  see  no  reason  in  his  complaint.  He  might 
as  well  have  objected  to  his  slinging  his  yards  in  chains,  or 
making  any  other  preparation  for  battle.  We  are  told  that  at 
the  battle  of  Fontenoy  there  was  some  altercation  between  the 
commanders  of  the  English  and  French  "  guards  "  as  to  which 
should  take  the  liberty  of  "  firing  first ;"  mais  nous  avons  change 
tout  cela  !  Captain  Winslow  was  fortunate  in  having  for  his 
executive  officer  Lieutenant  Commander  James  S.  Thornton ; 
a  fighting  man  every  inch  of  him.  I  could  never  understand 
why  he  was  not  made  a  commander  for  his  great  services  on 
this  occasion. 

Not  very  long  after  the  loss  of  the  Alabama  we  heard 
of  the  capture  of  the  Confederate  man-of-war  Florida  by 
the  U.  S.  steamer  Wachusett,  October  7,  1864.  The  circum 
stances  as  is  well  known  were  these:  The  .Florida,  Captain 
Charles  M.  Morris,  entered  the  port  of  Bahia,  Brazil,  and  found 
there  the  Wachusett,  Captain  Napoleon  B.  Collins.  Being  in 
a  neutral  port  Captain  Morris  took  no  more  precautions  against 
an  attack  than  he  would  have  done  if  commanding  a  vessel  in 
time  of  peace.  He  gave  his  men  liberty,  a  watch  at  a  time, 
and  kept  on  watch  only  the  usual  harbor  sentinels.  On 
the  night  of  October  7,  he  himself  with  many  of  his  offi- 


342      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

cers  and  half  his  crew  being  on  shore,  and  the  crew  on 
board  being  in  the  usual  condition  of  men  who  have  just 
returned  from  liberty,  his  vessel  was  unexpectedly  attacked 
by  the  Wachusett,  and  after  a  slight  resistance  captured. 
The  Florida  was  taken  to  Hampton  Roads,  and  upon  a  de 
mand  being  made  for  her  delivery  by  the  Brazilian  Govern 
ment,  she  was  designedly  run  into  by  a  vessel  appointed  for  the 
purpose  and  sunk.  I  have  heard  an  account  of  this  whole  affair 
from  Captain  Morris,  his  executive  officer  Porter  (who  was  on 
board  at  the  time  she  was  captured),  and  from  an  officer  who 
was  on  board  the  Wachusett.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  Cap 
tain  Collins'  action,  and  the  subsequent  course  of  the  IT.  S. 
authorities,  were  not  generally  approved  of  by  the  officers  of 
the  U.  S.  Navy.  It  is  understood  that  Captain  Collins'  course 
was  prompted  by  the  American  Consul  at  Bahia.  He  probably 
lived  to  regret  it. 

The  following  is  the  account  given  of  this  affair  by  the  Hon. 
Secretary  of  the  U,  S.  Navy,  in  his  report  for  1864.  As  it  is 
not  to  be  found  in  Disraeli's  "  Curiosities  of  Literature,"  I  must 
give  it  a  place  here :  "  Subsequently,  entering  the  Bay  of  San 
Salvador,  she  (the  Florida)  encountered  the  steamer  Wachusett, 
commanded  by  Commander  Collins,  to  whom  she  surrendered, 
and  by  whom  she  was  brought  in  a  leaky  and  dilapidated 
condition  to  Hampton  Roads.  Here,  while  at  anchor,  an  army 
transport  came  in  collision  with  the  shattered  vessel,  which 
sunk  a  few  days  after  near  the  wreck  of  the  Cumberland." 

Shade  of  Sir  Percie  Shafton ! 

But  the  spot  for  sinking  her  was  ill-chosen.  Could  the  noble 
men  who  lay  coffined  in  that  gallant  craft  (the  Cumberland) 
have  risen  from  the  dead  and  spoken,  they  would  have  pro 
tested  against  the  act  as  a  shameful  violation  of  the  laws  of 
honorable  warfare. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  I  was  ordered  back  to  the  Patrick  Henry, 
and  the  exercises  of  the  school  were  continued  during  all  the 
exciting  scenes  of  the  winter.  Captain  James  H.  Rochelle,  an 


BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  GUNBOAT  "  DRURY."    343 

officer  of  high  professional  standing,  and  who  had  served  with 
distinction  during  the  entire  war,  joined  us  as  Commandant  of 
Midshipmen  and  executive  officer. 

I  think  it  was  on  the  night  of  the  23d  of  January,  1865,  that 
an  attempt  was  made  to  get  the  iron-clads  down  the  river,  the 
object  being  to  destroy  General  Grant's  transports  and  stores  at 
City  Point.  Had  this  succeeded  it  would  have  made  a  very 
great  difference  in  the  result  of  the  next  campaign.  City  Point 
was  the  base  of  General  Grant's  supplies,  and  if  they  had  been 
destroyed,  and  we  had  resumed  the  control  of  the  river,  it  is 
difficult  to  say  what  would  hove  become  of  his  army.  It 
might  have  led  to  his  surrender,  and  in  any  event  would  have 
seriously  crippled  him. 

The  affair  was  wisely  planned.  There  was  but  one  monitor, 
the  Onondaga,  on  the  river,  and  the  design  was  to  push  boldly 
through  the  obstructions  at  night  and  strike  for  City  Point. 
The  gunboats  were  to  go  down  under  the  lee  of  the  iron-clads, 
and  sink  the  captured  transports  at  Harrison's  bar,  below  City 
Point,  to  prevent  any  more  vessels  being  sent  to  Grant's  assist 
ance.  Upon  approaching  the  obstructions  the  leading  vessel, 
the  iron-clad  Fredericksburg,  Captain  Frank  Sheppard,  passed 
through  safely  ;  but  the  next  vessel,  the  Virginia,  got  aground 
and  barred  the  way  for  the  others.  The  monitor,  which  had 
been  lying  in  Trent's  reach,  retired  down  the  river,  but  the 
battery  at  Howlets  opened  a  heavy  fire.  Finding  it  impos 
sible  to  get  the  Virginia  off,  Commodore  Mitchell  pulled  down 
to  the  Fredericksburg  in  an  open  boat,  and  finally  recalled  her, 
and  the  attempt  was  abandoned.  The  next  morning  the  moni 
tor  returned  and  opened  fire  on  the  Virginia,  still  aground. 
We  here  saw  the  effect  of  the  15-inch  shot  upon  the  strongest 
of  our  iron-clads.  One  of  them  struck  the  Virginia's  shield, 
bow  on,  and  shattered  it  very  much.  We  had  no  vessels  in 
the  Confederate  Navy  that  could  withstand  the  15-inch  shot. 
This  was  very  evident.  Fortunately  the  Virginia  succeeded  in 
getting  off  and  out  of  range,  otherwise  she  would  have  been 
destroyed.  The  gunboat  Drury  was  also  aground.  A  shot 


344      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

from  Howlet's  battery  passed  through  her  magazine,  and  she 
blew  up.  Providentially  the  officers  and  men  had  been  re 
moved  to  the  Virginia. 

So  ended  this  affair.  It  was  thought  by  some  that  if  the 
Fredericksburg  had  been  permitted  to  go  alone  to  City  Point  she 
might  have  accomplished  our  purpose,  as  she  had  a  torpedo  on 
her  bow  for  the  single  monitor.  Her  commander  was  a  dashing 
officer  and  would  have  accomplished  as  much  as  it  lay  in  the 
power  of  any  one  man  to  do.  I  must  add  in  justice  to  the 
captain  of  the  monitor  Onondaga,  that  he  explained  that  he 
retired  down  the  river  so  as  to  have  more  room  to  manoeuvre ; 
he  said  he  had  no  intention  of  retreating  below  City  Point. 
Certain  it  is  that,  finding  he  was  not  pursued,  he  returned  to 
the  seat  of  action,  and  opened  fire  upon  the  Virginia,  with  the 
effect  I  have  described.  He  was,  however,  relieved  of  his 
command  and  placed  on  the  retired  list.  General  Grant  was 
very  much  annoyed  at  his  retreating  below  Trent's  reach  ;  and 
to  show  the  importance  the  Federal  authorities  attached  to 
this  movement  of  ours,  Admiral  D.  Farragut  was  immediately 
placed  in  command  of  the  James  river  squadron,  in  the  ab 
sence  of  Admiral  Porter,  who  was  at  this  time  at  Wilmington 
with  most  of  his  vessels.  Admiral  Farragut,  however,  did  not 
assume  it. 

After  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  had  fallen  back  to  At 
lanta  in  the  summer  of  1864  he  was  relieved  of  his  command, 
and  General  Hood  appointed  to  succeed  him.  This  was  a 
fatal  mistake — we  all  see  it  now.  President  Davis  has  been 
much  blamed  for  this ;  but  I  happen  to  know  that  great  press 
ure  was  brought  upon  him  to  relieve  General  Johnston  by  the 
citizens  of  the  south-western  states.  Many  of  these  gentlemen 
were  very  quiet  about  it  afterwards  and  are  now ;  but  when 
they  found  General  Johnston  continually  falling  back,  and 
even  the  President  could  get  no  satisfactory  information  from 
him  as  to  how  far  he  intended  to  retreat  (for  Johnston  is  not 
the  most  communicative  of  men)  a  clamor  was  raised  to  relieve 
him.  General  Hood  had  been  a  successful  colonel,  brigadier 


VICE  PRESIDENT  STEPHENS.  345 

general,  major  general  and  lieutenant  general,  so  that  it  was 
reasonable  to  suppose  he  would  do  well  in  command  of  an 
army.  Suppose  he  had  captured  Nashville  as  he  could  have 
done  had  he  advanced  upon  it  immediately  after  the  battle  of 
Franklin,  how  then.  I  yield  to  no  man  in  my  admiration  for 
General  Johnston.  I  know  him  to  be  a  soldier  born,  and  his 
friendship  I  value.  AVe  know  now  that  his  campaign  of  1864 
was  a  model  of  tactics  and  strategy — Moreau's  retreat  through 
the  black  forest  did  not  equal  it — but  the  general  belief  that 
President  Davis  relieved  him  of  his  command  entirely  of  his 
own  motion  I  know  to  be  a  misapprehension,  and  the  Southern 
papers  of  that  day  prove  it. 

February  3d,  1865,  Vice  President  Stephens  accompanied 
by  two  commissioners  went  to  Hampton  Roads  and  met 
President  Lincoln  and  Secretary  of  State  Seward  in  the 
hope  of  arranging  terms  on  which  to  make  peace.  Here 
again  President  Davis  has  been  most  unjustly  criticised  since 
the  war.  It  has  been  said  that  we  could  have  made  better 
terms  than  we  finally  got.  I  suppose  we  could ;  but  what  I 
mean  to  say  is  that  the  majority  of  the  army  and  navy  would 
not  have  been  satisfied  with  any  terms  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
prepared  to  offer  us  at  that  time.  Nothing  would  have  con 
vinced  them  that  the  cause  was  hopeless  but  exactly  what  hap 
pened.  I  speak  for  myself,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  thousands  felt  as  I  did,  and  say  that  my  wish  was  to  fight 
it  out  to  the  bitter  end.  It  has  been  also  said  that  President 
Davis  and  the  Confederate  government  were  harsh  and  intoler 
ant.  There  was  never  a  greater  mistake.  Treason  stalked 
triumphant  o'er  the  land,  and  many  a  man  was  spared  who 
should  have  had  his  neck  stretched.  While  every  man  had  a 
right  to  his  opinion  before  the  war,  yet  after  war  was  actually 
declared  every  man  should  have  been  made  to  stand  by  the 
Confederacy  or  leave  the  country.  Perhaps  if  we  had  had 
something  like  Mr.  Seward 's  "  little  bell "  it  would  have  been 
all  the  better  for  us.  The  Confederacy  had  "  set  its  life  upon 
a  cast."  I  think  our  statesmen  failed  to  fully  appreciate  this 


346      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

fact.  War  is  an  unequal  thing  at  best ;  but  why  some  men 
should  have  been  expected  to  give  up  everything  for  the 
"  cause,"  and  others  permitted  to  reap  money  by  the  war,  is 
something  I  fail  to  understand.  My  observation  during  the 
war  was  that  the  generals  in  the  field  did  not  have  that  strong 
support  from  the  government  which  was  so  necessary  to  them. 
It  is  a  singular  fact  that  while  the  war  produced  many  gen 
erals  it  produced  absolutely  no  orators  or  statesmen. 

Charleston  was  evacuated  February  18,  and  Wilmington  was 
captured  February  22,  1865.  The  naval  officers  and  sailors 
arriving  in  Eichmond  from  these  and  other  places  were  or 
ganized  as  a  naval  brigade  under  Commodore  Tucker,  and  sent 
to  man  the  various  batteries  below  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Drury's  Bluff.  Admiral  Kaphael  Semmes,  who  had  returned 
from  Europe,  landed  in  Texas  and  made  his  way  to  Richmond, 
was  put  in  command  of  the  James  river  squadron  February 
18,  1865. 

During  the  winter  we  were  visited  in  the  squadron  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  and  the  naval  committees  of  the  two 
Houses  several  times.  I  remember  that  on  the  occasion  of  one 
of  these  visits  the  chairman  of  the  Naval  Committee  in  the 
House  fell  to  me  to  escort.  While  ascending  the  hill  at  Dru 
ry's  Bluff  I  expatiated  upon  the  value  of  the  ram  and  torpedo 
as  defensive  weapons.  I  said  that  even  if  the  Confederate 
Navy  had  done  nothing  else  but  to  develop  these  two  great 
weapons,  it  would  have  immortalized  itself,  etc.,  etc.  At  the 
lunch  which  Mr.  Mallory  gave  on  the  bluff  that  day,  this  gen 
tleman  upon  being  called  on  for  a  speech,  "  stole  my  thunder ;" 
but  as  I  am  not  much  given  to  public  speaking  myself  per 
haps  it  did  not  very  much  matter. 

Affairs  were  looking  very  badly  for  us  about  this  time — the 
winter  of  1865.  Men  were  deserting  in  large  numbers  from 
General  Lee's  army  and  from  the  James  river  squadron.  The 
cause  of  the  large  desertion  in  the  army  was  the  march  of 
General  Sherman  through  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  The 
letters  received  by  the  soldiers  from  their  wives  and  families 


THE  CONFEDERATE  GOVERNMENT.  347 

describing  their  sufferings,  maddened  these  poor  fellows,  and 
they  could  not  resist  their  appeals  to  return  for  their  protection. 
In  the  squadron,  where  very  few  of  the  men  were  "  to  the 
manner  born,"  the  scanty  ration  was  the  principal  cause  of  their 
leaving.  A  man  shut  up  in  an  iron-clad  with  nothing  to  do 
after  the  morning  drill,  broods  over  his  hunger — it  is  not  like 
being  on  shore,  where  a  man  can  move  about  and  forage  a 
little.  Still  the  sailors,  with  all  their  sufferings,  were  better 
off  than  General  Lee's  soldiers,  inasmuch  as  they  were  well- 
clothed  and  had  always  a  dry  hammock  at  night. 

One  of  my  officers,  who  was  remarkably  neat  in  his  dress, 
told  me  that  coming  on  from  Charleston  he  had  a  seat  along 
side  a  soldier  who  was  returning  to  his  regiment  in  the  field. 
The  soldier  was  very  badly  clad  and  looked  haggard  and  care 
worn.  Eyeing  my  friend  critically  and  earnestly,  he  asked 
him  a  number  of  questions  :  "  If  he  was  a  general  ?"  (we  wore 
silver  stars  on  our  straps,  as  the  brigadier-generals  did)  ;  "  if 
he  was  returning  to  his  regiment ;"  "  where  it  was  stationed," 
etc.,  etc.  My  friend  finally  told  him  that  "  he  belonged  to  the 
navy."  After  some  reflection,  the  soldier  said,  confidentially : 
"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  if  things  don't  soon  look  better,  I'll  be 
dogged  if  I  don't  try  to  navy  it  a  little  too." 

We  knew  in  February,  if  not  before,  that  everything  de 
pended  upon  General  Lee's  being  able  to  hold  his  lines  about 
Petersburg.  I  was  in  constant  and  confidential  communica 
tion  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  knew,  how  very 
anxious  our  authorities  were.  It  wTas  strange  how  Mr.  Mallory 
clung  to  the  idea  of  keeping  up  the  Naval  School,  even  if 
Richmond  had  to  be  abandoned.  By  his  direction  I  sent 
Lieutenant  Graves  into  North  Carolina  and  Georgia  to  select 
buildings,  with  a  view  to  our  leaving  Richmond  and  establish 
ing  ourselves  inland.  Graves  made  two  or  more  trips  for  this 
purpose,  but  we  could  not  settle  upon  any  locality.  What 
with  Sherman  and  Wilson  to  the  south,  and  Stoneman  to  the 
west — to  say  nothing  of  other  commands — it  was  difficult  to 
hit  upon  a  quiet  spot.  What  we  wanted  was  "  a  pleasant  cot, 


348        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

in  a  tranquil  spot,  with  a  distant  view  of  the  changing  sea  ; " 
but  it  \vas  hard  to  find.  I  did  not  take  much  interest  in  this 
search  myself,  having  long  before  considered  our  success  hope 
less  ;  and  I  felt  sure  that  the  loss  of  Richmond  involved  the 
fall  of  the  Confederacy. 

After  the  capture  of  Fort  Harrison  by  the  Federal  troops, 
the  Patrick  Henry  was  ordered  up  to  protect  the  bridge  above 
Wilton.  The  enemy  were  making  demonstrations  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river  the  entire  winter,  and  not  a  day  passed  that 
we  did  not  hear  the  booming  of  great  guns  and  the  rattling 
of  musketry ;  yet  the  midshipmen  pursued  their  daily  routine. 
We  had  at  this  time  sixty  midshipmen,  and  these  with  their 
officers  constituted  a  force  of  about  seventy  men,  armed  with 
rifles  and  extremely  well  disciplined  and  drilled.  We  had 
among  them  representatives  of  the  best  families  of  the  South. 
I  need  not  say  that,  under  the  circumstances,  the  care  of  these 
young  gentlemen  gave  me  many  anxious  moments. 

Towards  the  end  of  March  the  Patrick  Henry  was  moved  up 
the  river  near  Rocketts,  and  I  was  directed  to  prepare  her  for 
sinking  in  the  obstructions.  I  commenced  getting  her  ready, 
and  rented  a  warehouse  on  shore  to  which  to  remove  the  mid 
shipmen  and  stores.  Many  families  were  now  leaving  Rich 
mond,  among  them  the  President's  and  Mr.  Mallory's.  The 
squadron  under  Admiral  Semmes  was  at  anchor  between 
Chapin  and  Drury's  bluff,  and  the  naval  brigade  under  Com 
modore  Tucker  was  distributed  among  the  batteries  near  by, 
as  I  have  before  said.  Such  was  the  position  of  affairs  on  the 
river  on  the  evening  of  April  1st,  1865. 


THE  EVACUATION  OF  RICHMOND.  349 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  EVACUATION  OF  EICHMOND — OEDEEED  TO  TAKE  CHAEGE  OF  THE 
CONFEDEEATE  TEEASUEE — THE  COEPS  OF  MIDSHIPMEN — THE  NIGHT  OF 
APEIL  2D  — SCENES  AT  THE  DEPOT — DEPAETUEE  OF  THE  PEESIDENT  AND 
CABINET — AEEIVAL  AT  DANVILLE— GO  ON  TO  CIIAELOTTE,  N.  C. — GEN- 
EEAL  STONEMAN  AT  SALISBUEY — EESOLVE  TO  CAEEY  THE  TEEASUEE 
FAETHEE  SOUTH— MES.  PEESIDENT  DAVIS  AND  FAMILY— LEAVE  CHAE- 
LOTTE— PASS  THEOUGH  CHESTEE,  NEWBEEEY,  ABBEVILLE  AND  WASH 
INGTON — AEEIVAL  AT  AUGUSTA,  GEOEGIA — THE  AEMISTICE  BETWEEN 
GENEEALS  JOHNSTON  AND  SHEEMAN  —  DETEEMINE  TO  EETEACE  MY 
STEPS — LEAVE  AUGUSTA  FOE  WASHINGTON,  GEOEGIA. 

ON  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  April  1st,  1865,  I  went  up  to 
Richmond — not  having  left  the  ship  for  some  little  time  be 
fore — intending  to  pass  the  night  there.  Wishing  to  learn  the 
latest  news  I  drove  direct  to  Mr.  Mallory's  house.  It  wras 
then  near  sunset.  I  found  Mr.  Mallory  walking  to  and  fro  on 
the  pavement  in  front  of  his  house,  with  a  revolver  in  his 
hand.  I  presumed  he  had  been  perhaps  shooting  at  a  mark, 
though  I  did  not  ask  him.  In  reply  to  my  question  Mr.  Mal 
lory  informed  me  that  the  news  that  day  from  General  Lee 
was  good,  and  that  affairs  about  Petersburg  looked  promising. 
I  told  him  I  had  proposed  spending  the  night  in  the  city,  if 
nothing  was  likely  to  happen  in  the  river  requiring  my  pre 
sence  on  board  the  Patrick  Henry.  He  said  he  knew  of 
nothing  to  prevent,  and  after  some  further  conversation  I  left 
him.  'I  passed  the  night  in  the  city.  If  I  recollect  aright  our 
Home  Guards  were  out  on  the  Brooke  turnpike  to  repel  a 
threatened  raid  in  that  direction — but  the  night  passed  quietly. 

The  next  morning  I  walked  down  to  Rocketts,  and  went  on 
board  my  ship.  We  had  the  customary  Sunday  muster  and 
inspection,  and  as  we  piped  down  I  observed  a  company  of 


350      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

Home  Guards  going  out  in  the  direction  of  Wilton,  and  I 
wondered  at  it.  Shortly  after  I  received  a  dispatch  from 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  which  read  as  follows :  "  Have  the 
corps  of  midshipmen,  with  the  proper  officers,  at  the  Danville 
depot  to-day  at  6  p.  M.,  the  commanding  officer  to  report  to 
the  Quartermaster  General  of  the  Army." 

Sending  for  Captain  Rochelle  I  directed  him  to  carry  out 
the  order  and  to  have  three  days  provisions  cooked  to  carry. 
He  asked  me  if  I  would  go  myself.  I  told  him  no ;  that  he 
would  go  in  command  and  I  would  remain  and  take  care  of 
the  ship ;  that  he  wrould  probably  be  back  in  a  few  days. 
While  preparations  were  being  made,  it  struck  me  that  it  would 
be  as  well  to  go  to  the  Navy  Department  myself  and  obtain 
more  definite  information.  I  landed,  and  as  I  passed  Eocketts 
(the  landing-place  of  our  river  steamboats)  I  met  a  large 
number  of  prisoners  on  their  way  to  the  boats  to  be  sent  down 
to  be  exchanged.  It  passed  through  my  mind  at  the  instant 
that  in  the  case  of  the  evacuation  of  Richmond  this  was  just 
what  would  be  previously  done,  and  it  had  not  been  the  custom 
to  send  them  off  in  the  middle  of  the  day — they  were  always 
sent  off  at  daylight.  However  I  pursued  my  way  up  Main  street 
and  in  a  few  moments  met  a  clerk  who  inquired  of  me  how  he 
could  get  down  to  Drury's  Bluff.  I  told  him,  and  observing 
him  to  be  excited  inquired  if  there  were  any  news.  "  Why 
don't  you  know,"  said  he  with  his  eyes  starting  out  of  his  head, 
"  Richmond  is  to  be  evacuated  this  evening  /"  I  at  once  returned 
to  the  Patrick  Henry  and  gave  orders  for  all  hands  to  be  at  the 
Danville  depot  at  6  o'clock  with  the  exception  of  Lieutenant 
Billups  and  ten  men  wrhom  I  left  to  burn  the  ship.  I  then 
W7ent  to  the  Navy  Department  and  saw  Mr.  Mallory.  He  told 
me  the  newrs.  The  city  was  to  be  evacuated  that  evening,  and 
my  command  was  to  take  charge  of  the  Confederate  treasure 
and  convey  it  to  Danville.  Everything  was  being  packed  up  for 
carrying  off  about  the  departments,  though  a  good  many  things 
had  been  sent  away  in  March  in  anticipation  of  this  event.  In 
the  city  those  who  had  anything  to  do  were  at  work  at  it,  and 


THE  COEPS  OF  MIDSHIPMEN.  351 

yet  in  the  midst  of  all  the  excitement  there  was  a  peculiar 
quiet — a  solemnity — I  have  never  ceased  to  remember ;  perhaps 
the  pale,  sad  faces  of  the  ladies  aided  to  bring  it  about — they 
knew  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  leave,  and  they  prepared  to 
share  the  fate  of  their  beloved  city  with  the  same  heroism  they 
had  exhibited  during  the  past  four  years.  The  provost  marshal 
had  given  orders  to  his  men  to  seize  and  destroy  all  the  liquor 
they  could  find  in  the  stores,  and  they  did  so — a  wise  precau 
tion.  I  went  to  the  depot  at  6  o'clock  and  found  the  treasure 
packed  in  the  cars,  and  the  midshipmen  under  Captain  Ro- 
chelle  in  charge  of  it.  So  far  as  I  know  there  was  about  half 
a  million  of  dollars  in  gold,  silver  and  bullion ;  at  least  that  is 
what  the  senior  teller  told  me,  as  well  as  I  recollect.  I  saw  the 
boxes  containing  it  many  times  in  the  weary  thirty  days  I  had 
it  under  my  protection,  but  I  never  saw  the  coin.  The  teller 
and  his  assistant  clerks  had  charge  of  the  money,  and  the  corps 
of  midshipmen  guarded  and  eventually  saved  it.  In  addition 
to  the  Confederate  money,  there  was  also  some  belonging  to 
the  Richmond  banks.  It  was  in  charge  of  their  officers,  and 
travelled  with  us  for  safety.  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it ;  but, 
of  course,  gave  it  our  protection. 

At  the  depot,  the  scene  I  find  hard  to  describe.  The  Presi 
dent's  train  was  to  precede  mine,  which  was  expected  to  be  the 
last  out  of  the  city  ;  both  trains  were  packed — not  only  inside, 
but  on  top,  on  the  platforms,  on  the  engine, — everywhere,  in 
fact,  where  standing-room  could  be  found ;  and  those  who 
could  not  get  that  "  hung  on  by  their  eyelids."  I  placed  sen 
tinels  at  the  doors  of  the  depot  finally,  and  would  not  let 
another  soul  enter. 

And  here  I  must  pay  a  tribute  to  the  midshipmen  who 
stood  by  me  for  so-  many  anxious  days ;  their  training  and 
discipline  showed  itself  conspicuously  during  that  time — the 
best  sentinels  in  the  world — cool  and  decided  in  their  replies, 
prompt  in  action,  and  brave  in  danger, — their  conduct  al 
ways  merited  my  approbation  and  excited  my  admiration. 
During  the  march  across  South  Carolina,  foot-sore  and  ragged 


352      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

as  they  had  become  by  that  time,  no  murmur  escaped 
them,  and  they  never  faltered.  On  the  2d  day  of  May  they 
were  disbanded  in  Abbeville,  South  Carolina,  far  from  their 
homes.  They  were  staunch  to  the  last,  and  verified  the  adage 
that  "  blood  will  tell."  Their  officers  I  cannot  say  too  much 
for.  Our  professors,  as  I  have  before  said,  had  all  seen  service 
in  the  army,  and  they  resumed  their  campaigning  with  ala 
crity.  From  the  time  we  left  Richmond  until  we  disbanded, 
they  set  the  example  to  the  corps  to  obey  orders,  with  the 
watchword:  "guard  the  treasure."  I  am  sure  that  Mr. 
Davis,  and  Mr.  Mallory  if  he  were  alive,  would  testify  to 
the  fact  that  when  they  saw  the  corps  in  Abbeville,  way 
worn  and  weary  after  its  long  march,  it  presented  the  same 
undaunted  front  as  when  it  left  Richmond,  and  that  it 
handed  over  the  treasure,  which  had  been  confided  to  it  thirty 
days  before,  intact;  and  that,  in  my  opinion,  is  what  no 
other  organization  at  that  time  could  have  done. 

While  waiting  in  the  depot  I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  President  and  his  Cabinet  as  they  went  to  the  cars.  Mr. 
Davis  preserved  his  usual  calm  and  dignified  manner,  and 
General  Breckenridge  (the  Secretary  of  War),  who  had  deter 
mined  to  go  out  on  horseback,  was  as  cool  and  gallant  as  ever — 
but  the  others,  I  thought,  had  the  air  (as  the  French  say)  of 
wishing  to  be  off.  General  Breckenridge  stayed  with  me  some 
time  after  the  President's  train  had  gone,  and  I  had  occasion 
to  admire  his  bearing  under  the  circumstances.  The  Presi 
dent's  train  got  off  about  8  p.  M.  ;  but  there  was  much  delay 
with  mine.  Hour  after  hour  passed  and  we  did  not  move. 

The  scenes  about  the  depot  were  a  harbinger  of  what  was 
to  come  that  night.  The  whiskey,  which  had  been  "  started" 
by  the  Provost  guard,  was  running  in  the  gutters,  and  men 
were  getting  drunk  upon  it.  As  is  the  case  under  such  cir 
cumstances  (I  noticed  it,  too,  at  the  evacuation  of  Norfolk), 
large  numbers  of  ruffians  suddenly  sprung  into  existence — I 
suppose  thieves,  deserters,  etc.,  who  had  been  in  hiding.  These 
were  the  men  who  were  now  breaking  into  stores  and  searching 


AXRIVAL  AT  DANVILLE.  353 

for  liquor.  To  add  to  the  horror  of  the  moment  (I  say  horror, 
for  we  all  had  friends  who  had  to  be  left  behind),  we  now 
heard  the  explosions  of  the  vessels  and  magazines,  and  this, 
with  the  screams  and  yells  of  the  drunken  demons  in  the 
streets,  and  the  fires  which  were  now  breaking  out  in  every 
direction,  made  it  seem  as  though  hell  itself  had  broken  loose. 
Towards  midnight,  hearing  the  rumbling  of  artillery  crossing 
the  bridge  below  us,  I  sent  an  officer  to  see  what  it  was.  He 
returned  with  the  information  that  it  was  Lightfoot's  battery  and 
the  rear  guard  of  the  army.  I  thought  the  name  suggestive. 
Shortly  after,  to  our  relief,  our  train  started  and  crossed  the 
bridges ;  and  after  a  short  delay  in  Manchester  we  steamed 
away  at  the  rate  of  some  ten  miles  an  hour. 

I  must  pause  here  to  say  that  the  Federal  troops  under 
General  Ord,  upon  their  entrance  into  the  city  about  daylight 
next  morning,  soon  put  an  end  to  all  disorder,  and  conducted 
themselves  with  much  moderation  and  propriety  towards  the 
citizens  of  Richmond. 

We  went  along  at  a  slow  rate  of  speed,  stopping  at  Amelia 
Court  House  and  other  places,  and  arrived  at  Danville  on  the 
afternoon  of  April  3d.  We  found  the  Cabinet  here;  and 
President  Davis  issued  a  short  and  stirring  proclamation. 
During  the  night,  Admiral  Semmes  arrived  in  a  train  with 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  James  river  squadron.  It  seems 
he  had  but  scanty  notice  of  the  evacuation ;  but  he  blew  up 
the  vessels,  seized  upon  a  train,  and  made  his  way  to  Danville 
under  great  difficulties.  He  was  commissioned  a  Brigadier- 
General,  and  his  force  organized  as  a  brigade.  He  was  put  in 
command  of  some  batteries  around  Danville. 

The  sailors  in  the  batteries  below  Drury's  Bluff,  under  Com 
modore  Tucker,  had  also  very  scanty  notice  of  the  evacuation, 
if  any ;  but  they  got  away  together,  and  formed  part  of  the 
rear  guard  of  the  army  in  General  Custis  Lee's  division.  They 
were  in  the  battle  of  Sailor's  creek  and  fought  desperately. 
After  the  brigades  on  either  side  of  them  had  surrendered, 
Tucker  still  continued  to  fight.  The  general  in  command 


354        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

could  get  no  word  to  him  to  surrender ;  and  the  Federals,  not 
understanding  why  that  particular  body  of  men  held  out 
were  massing  a  large  number  of  guns  upon  it,  when  a  staff 
officer  finally  made  his  way  to  Tucker  with  the  order  to  give 
up.  The  commodore  told  me  afterwards  he  had  never  been 
in  a  land  battle  before,  and  he  had  supposed  that  "  everything 
was  going  on  well."  The  Federal  troops  cheered  the  sailors 
after  their  surrender.  The  creek  was  not  named  for  the  sailors 
engaged  in  this  fight,  as  some  have  supposed.  It  bore  the 
name  Sailor  before — rather  a  singular  coincidence  ;  though,  as 
Mark  Twain  says,  every  man  must  take  this  "  at  his  own  risk." 

Lieutenant  Billups  faithfully  carried  out  my  orders,  and 
burned  the  Patrick  Henry.  He  then  attempted  to  join  me, 
but  by  the  time  he  got  to  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  I  was  down  in 
Georgia,  and  the  war  was  over.  I  did  not  meet  him  until 
1878.  Happening  to  be  in  Barnum's  hotel,  in  Baltimore,  a 
gentleman  accosted  me.  Seeing  that  I  failed  to  recognize 
him,  he  exclaimed :  "  I  am  Lieutenant  Billups  of  the  rear 
guard."  Said  I :  "  report,"  and  he  did  so  accordingly.  I  am 
glad  to  say  he  is  doing  well  in  the  merchant  marine,  and  is 
recognised  as  a  trustworthy  officer  and  most  estimable  man. 

We  did  not  unpack  the  treasure  from  the  cars  at  Danville, 
except  that  taken  for  the  use  of  the  Government  at  the  time. 
How  much  was  taken,  or  for  whom  it  was  taken,  I  never  knew — 
it  was  not  my  business  to  inquire.  The  midshipmen  bivouacked 
near  the  railroad  station.  We  were  very  anxious  to  hear  from 
General  Lee's  army  as  may  well  be  imagined,  and  for  some 
days  had  fears  for  General  Breckenridge's  safety,  but  he  finally 
rode  in  with  his  staff.  We  remained  in  Danville  several  days, 
and  I  was  then  ordered  to  convey  the  treasure  to  Charlotte, 
N.  C.,  to  deposit  it  in  the  mint  there,  and  then  await  further 
orders.  I  here  requested  Mr.  Mallory  to  see  the  secretary  of 
the  treasury  (Mr.  Trenholm)  in  reference  to  the  Confederate 
treasurer  and  assistant  treasurer  accompanying  the  treasure  as 
its  appointed  custodians.  It  was  their  duty  to  be  with  it  at 
this  time.  I  did  not  think  it  right  that  it  should  be  left  with 


GENERAL  STONEMAN  A  T  SALISB  UR  Y.         355 

a  Teller  as  the  senior  civil  officer.  This  was  a  source  of  annoy 
ance  to  me  from  that  time  forward ;  not  that  I  had  anything 
against  the  Teller,  (I  did  not  know  him)  but  I  thought  it  was 
a  time  when  every  man  should  be  made  to  do  his  duty.  It 
was  not  a  time  to  be  falling  sick  by  the  wayside,  as  some  high 
officials  were  beginning  to  do.  I  thought  so  then,  and  am  of 
the  same  opinion  now. 

We  left  Danville  about  the  6th  of  April  and  went  to  Greens 
boro  where  we  remained  for  a  day,  and  then  continued  on  to 
Charlotte.  As  we  approached  Salisbury  we  saw  cavalry  de 
scending  the  hills  in  the  vicinity  and  we  stopped  to  reconnoitre 
— for  the  times  were  troublous  ;  but  it  turned  out  to  be  some  of 
our  men  and  we  passed  on.  We  reached  Charlotte  about  the 
8th,  and  I  deposited  the  money  in  the  mint  as  directed,  and 
left  it  in  the  custody  of  its  proper  officers.  I  thought  I  was 
rid  of  it  forever.  We  remained  here  several  days,  and  upon 
going  to  the  telegraph  office  at  the  end  of  that  time  to  telegraph 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  I  found  the  wires  had  been  cut  by 
General  Stoneman  who  was  then  in  possession  of  Salisbury,  with 
his  command.  It  was  supposed  he  would  obtain  information 
there  concerning  the  treasure,  and  that  he  would  soon  make 
his  appearance  in  Charlotte  where  there  were  no  troops  to 
oppose  him.  I  was  the  senior  naval  officer  present  on  duty  in 
Charlotte,  and  had  to  decide  as  to  the  necessary  steps  to  pre 
serve  the  treasure.  After  consultation  with  the  treasury  officers 
I  determined  to  remove  it  farther  south — probably  to  Macon, 
Georgia.  Mrs.  President  Davis  and  family  were  in  town,  and 
I  called  to  offer  her  the  protection  of  my  command.  After 
some  demur  she  decided  to  accompany  us.  I  rather  pressed 
the  point  as  I  feared  she  would  be  captured,  and  I  could  not 
bear  the  idea  of  that.  We  found  in  the  naval  storehouse  here 
large  quantities  of  sugar,  coffee,  bacon  and  flour,  and  I  took 
enough  to  support  my  command  several  months.  It  was  a 
most  fortunate  proceeding  on  my  part  as  the  result  will  show. 
The  storekeeper  rather  objected  to  it ;  he  wanted  requisitions 
approved  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  &c. ;  but  I  told  him 


356       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

it  was  no  time  for  red  tape,  and  that  moreover  I  had  the  force 
and  intended  to  have  it — "  Tom  Collins  whether  or  no."  He 
gracefully  acquiesced  and  rendered  us  all  the  assistance  in  his 
power  in  selecting  the  best  of  the  stores.  A  company  of 
uniformed  men  from  the  navy  yard,  under  Captain  Tabb,  vol 
unteered  to  accompany  us.  These  men  were  principally  from 
Portsmouth,  Va.,  and  they  remained  with  me  to  the  end.  A 
better  set  of  men  I  never  served  with.  During  the  entire 
march  I  always  found  them  cheerful  and  ready  for  any  duty. 
They  left  me  finally  at  Abbeville,  S.  C.,  after  all  was  over,  and 
I  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  their  marching  off  in  gallant 
array,  with  their  field  music  playing  Dixie,  on  their  return  to 
Charlotte.  Just  before  they  started  a  keg  of  cents  was  pre 
sented  to  them  to  be  divided  out — they  indignantly  refused  to 
accept  it — who  authorized  this  magnificent  donation  I  do  not 
know. 

We  left  Charlotte  in  the  cars  on  or  about  the  llth  of  April, 
and  arrived  at  Chester,  S.  C.,  the  next  morning.  We  here 
packed  the  money  and  papers  in  wagons  and  formed  a  train, 
having  to  cross  the  country  to  Newberry,  S.  C..  We  were  not 
ready  to  start  till  late  in  the  afternoon ;  but  I  thought  it  better 
to  get  out  of  town  and  organize,  and  accordingly  marched  out 
about  five  miles,  and  went  into  camp  near  a  "  meeting-house," 
which  afforded  shelter  for  the  ladies  accompanying  the  party. 
I  here  published  orders  regulating  our  march,  declared  mar 
tial  law,  and  made  every  man  carry  a  musket.  I  had  about 
150  fighting  men  under  my  command,  and  expected,  if  at 
tacked,  that  wre  could  give  a  good  account  of  ourselves. 

Mrs.  Davis  came  out  in  an  ambulance  and  took  up  quarters 
in  the  church  with  the  other  ladies.  I  slept  in  the  pulpit  my 
self,  being  the  head  of  the  party.  The  next  morning  early  we 
took  up  the  line  of  march,  with  the  Charlotte  company  in  ad 
vance,  and  during  the  rest  of  the  march  the  midshipmen  led 
the  advance  one  day  and  the  Charlotte  company  the  next.  All 
hands  were  on  foot,  myself  included,  and  I  gave  strict  orders 
that  no  man  should  ride,  unless  sick. 


NEWBERRY.  357 

The  first  night  in  camp  I  heard  the  midshipmen  discussing 
the  prospects  of  a  long  march,  and  the  probability  of  "  Old 
Parker's  "  breaking  down  ;  but  I  had  walked  too  many  mid- 
watches  to  have  any  fears  of  it.  I  had  an  idea  that  naval  of 
ficers  should  be  good  wralkers.  It  was  so  in  my  case,  at  least ; 
for,  upon  our  arrival  at  Washington,  Georgia,  I  was  almost 
the  only  officer  who  had  not,  at  some  time  during  the  march, 
ridden  in  an  ambulance  or  wagon.  I  did  not  have  a  blister 
on  my  feet  during  the  whole  time,  and  found  I  could  make 
my  three  miles  an  hour  with  great  regularity  and  without  dis 
comfort.  One  day  we  marched  30  miles,  between  our  camp  at 
Means'  and  Newberry ;  and,  as  I  had  to  be  sometimes  with  the 
rear  guard  and  at  others  in  advance,  I  did  more  walking  than 
anyone  else. 

About  sunset  of  :the  first  day's  march  we  went  into  camp, 
and  I  was  arranging  a  place  for  the  ladies  to  pass  the  night, 
when  a  gentleman  came  from  a  neighboring  house ;  I  found  it 
was  Mr.  Edward  C.  Means,  who  had  been  a  midshipman  with 
me  in  the  U.  S.  S.  Yorktown,  and  who  wras  then  a  Lieutenant 
in  the  Confederate  Navy.  He  had  lately  had  command  of  a 
gunboat  on  the  James  river.  Means  took  all  the  ladies  to  his 
house  and  made  them  comfortable  for  the  night.  His  planta 
tion  had  fortunately  escaped  the  ravages  of  General  Sherman's 
army.  Sherman's  left  wing  had  just  cleared  it ;  but  he  told 
me  he  had  only  to  go  a  few  miles  to  see  the  ruins  of  many 
houses  burned  by  Sherman's  troops,  and  most  of  them  had 
been  owned  by  his  relatives.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Gover 
nor  Means.  He  showed  me  that  night  a  trap-door  under  his 
dining-room  table,  where  a  pit  had  been  dug  in  which  to  con 
ceal  the  family  silver,  etc. 

We  started  very  early  the  next  morning,  and  about  noon 
crossed  the  Broad  river  on  a  pontoon  bridge.  I  was  surprised 
to  see  so  beautiful  a  sheet  of  water.  It  reminded  me  of  some 
thing  I  had  read  of  General  Sumter  or  Marion  in  the  revo 
lutionary  war.  That  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Newberry,  after 
a  march  of  twelve  hours'  duration.  We  had  marched  rapidly, 


358        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER 

as  we  supposed  General  Stoneman  to  be  iu  pursuit  with  his 
cavalry.  I  left  rear  guards  at  every  bridge  we  crossed,  to  be 
ready  to  burn  it  if  necessary  to  check  a  pursuit.  I  am  not 
sure  now  whether  General  Stoneman  (the  present  Governor  of 
California)  was  after  us  or  not ;  but  we  thought  at  the  time 
he  would  get  news  of  the  treasure  at  Charlotte  and  follow  us. 
During  the  march  I  never  allowed  any  one  to  pass  us  on  the 
road,  and  yet  the  coming  of  the  treasure  was  known  at  every 
village  we  passed  through.  How  this  should  be  was  beyond 
my  comprehension.  I  leave  it  to  metaphysicians  to  solve,  as 
also  the  fact  that  when  an  army  meets  with  a  disaster,  mys 
terious  rumors  are  circulated  concerning  it  before  one  would 
suppose  sufficient  time  had  elapsed  for  the  news  to  travel  the 
distance.  I  had  sent  a  courier  on  ahead  to  Newberry  asking 
the  quartermaster  to  have  a  train  of  cars  ready  to  take  us  on 
to  Abbeville,  S.  C.,  distant  some  45  miles,  and  upon  our  arrival 
we  transferred  the  treasure  to  the  cars  and  left  the  same  even 
ing  at  sunset.  We  arrived  at  Abbeville  at  midnight  and 
passed  the  remainder  of  the  night  in  the  cars.  Mrs.  Davis  and 
family  here  left  me  and  went  to  the  house  of  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Burt,  a  former  member  of  the  U.  S.  Congress.  We  formed  a 
wagon  train  again  here  and  set  off  across  the  country  for 
Washington,  Georgia.  The  news  we  got  at  different  places 
along  the  route  was  bad :  "  unmerciful  disaster  followed  fast 
and  followed  faster."  We  "  lightened  ship  "  as  we  went  along  - 
throwing  away  books,  stationery  and  even,  as  we  heard  the 
worst  news,  Confederate  money.  One  could  have  traced  us  by 
these  marks  and  formed  an  idea  of  the  character  of  the  news 
we  were  in  receipt  of.  From  Abbeville  to  Washington  is  about 
40  miles,  and  we  made  a  two  days  march  of  it.  The  first  day 
after  leaving  Abbeville  we  crossed  the  Savannah  river  on  a 
pontoon  about  4  p.  M.,  and  went  into  camp  for  the  night.  We 
arrived  at  Washington  the  next  day,  and  here  I  heard  that 
General  Wilson,  U.  S.  A.  had  captured  Macon,  and  was  on  his 
way  farther  north,  so  I  resolved  to  halt  for  a  time,  to  deliber 
ate.  We  transferred  the  money  to  a  house  and  put  a  strong 


ABBEVILLE  AND  WASHINGTON.  359 

guard  over  it.  The  ladies  were  accommodated  with  rooms  at 
the  tavern.  There  were  no  meals  served  there ;  but  we  had 
an  abundance  of  provisions.  Our  coffee  and  sugar  was  as 
good  as  gold,  and  by  trading  it  for  eggs,  butter,  poultry  and 
milk  we  managed  to  keep  up  an  excellent  mess.  All  the  men, 
teamsters  and  all,  were  allowed  plenty  of  bacon,  coffee  and 
sugar,  and  if  they  were  ragged  they  were  at  all  events  "  fat  and 
saucy."  After  a  day's  deliberation  and  a  consultation  with 
some  of  the  citizens  of  Washington  I  resolved  to  go  to  Augusta. 
I  knew  there  was  a  general  in  command  there,  and  also  a 
naval  officer  senior  to  myself,  and  I  thought  I  would  at  least 
have  the  benefit  of  their  advice.  We  left  the  ladies  behind  at 
the  tavern  in  Washington  for  we  expected  now  a  fight  at  any 
time.  Affairs  were  looking  very  threatening.  We  left  Wash 
ington  on  the  cars  for  Augusta  on  the  18th  of  April,  I  think. 
We  were  on  a  branch  road,  and  w^hen  we  arrived  at  the  junc 
tion  with  the  main  road  across  Georgia — running  from  Augusta 
westward  to  Atlanta — we  fell  in  with  the  train  from  Atlanta 
and  stopped  to  allow  it  to  pass. 

Captain  Rochelle  went  to  inquire  for  news,  and  he  soon 
returned  with  information  that  General  Lee  had  surrendered 
on  the  9th  of  April.  To  show  how  completely  isolated  we  had 
been,  it  never  entered  my  head  that  the  news  could  be  tele 
graphed  via  Nashville  and  Atlanta.  Our  lines  I  knew  were 
down,  and  as  I  was  the  last  to  arrive  from  Danville,  I  supposed 
I  had  the  latest  news.  I  thought  that  some  speculator  on  his 
way  to  Augusta  was  circulating  this  news  for  his  own  pur 
poses,  and  I  directed  Captain  Rochelle  to  take  a  guard  and 
arrest  him.  Fortunately  for  him,  and  for  me  too,  I  suppose, 
the  man  could  not  be  found.  We  followed  on  after  the  mail 
train,  and  I  really  did  not  believe  the  report  until  it  was  con 
firmed  to  me  upon  our  arrival  at  Augusta  that  night. 

We  did  not  unpack  the  money  from  the  cars  in  Augusta. 
The  midshipmen  bivouacked  near  by.  I  called  upon  General 
Fry  who  commanded  the  post,  and  upon  Commodore  William 
Hunter,  senior  naval  officer  present.  There  was  a  gunboat  or 


360         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

two  in  the  river,  which  had  escaped  from  Savannah.  General 
Fry  said  he  could  offer  us  no  hope  of  protection,  that  he  had  but 
few  troops,  and  that  the  place  must  fall  when  attacked,  which 
would  be  very  soon.  However,  Generals  Johnston  and  Sher 
man  had  just  entered  upon  a  convention,  and  I  decided  to 
take  advantage  of  the  armistice  existing  to  look  about  me. 

I  found  in  Augusta  one  of  the  Confederate  Treasury  offi 
cers.     I  called  upon  him  and  requested  him  to  take  charge 
of  the  treasure  and  remain,  with  it.  .This  he  seemed  disinclined 
to  do,  but  I  insisted  that  he  should  do  so  for  the  reasons  I  have 
before  assigned.     I  finally  called  upon  him  in  company  with 
General  Fry  and  Commodore  Hunter,  and  finding  that  they 
took  the  same  view  of  the  matter  that  I  did,  he  consented  to 
do  so ;  with  the  proviso  that  I  would  continue  to  guard  it. 
This  I  readily  consented  to  do.     I  had  no  idea  of  giving  up 
my  control  of  it  to  any  other  command,  even  if  there  had 
been  one  to  assume  it,  which  there  was  not.     In  a  letter  to  the 
Southern  Historical  Society  papers,  my  paymaster,  Mr.  Wheliss, 
says  that  upon  the  return  of  the  corps  to  Abbeville  and  the  ar 
rival  there  of  the  President :   "  Captain  Parker,  feeling  the 
great  responsibility  of  his  position  and  satisfied  that  his  com 
mand  was  wholly  inadequate  to  the  protection  of  the  treasure, 
earnestly  requested  to  be  relieved."    He  is  mistaken.     He  did 
not  understand.     I  was  anxious  to  be  relieved  of  the  moral 
responsibility  of  being  the  custodian  of  the  money ;  but  I  con 
sidered  my  command  the  best  protectors  of  it  to  be  found  at 
the  South,  and  I  never  requested  to  be  relieved,  as  I  shall 
show.     Paymaster  Wheliss,  (the  present  General  Wheliss  of 
Nashville,  and  a  very  gallant  officer),  of  course  only  meant  to 
describe  the  matter  as  he  understood  it.     His  account  of  our 
march,  etc.,  is  very  accurate,  and  his  views  I  most  cordially 
agree  with  as  to  the  final  disposition  of  the  Confederate  trea 
sure,  so  far  as  I  know  anything  about  it. 

The  simple  fact  is  that  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  hand 
that  treasure  over  to  President  Davis,  if  it  were  in  the  power 
of  one  man  to  do  so.  I  sought  no  advice  on  that  point.  The 


JOHNSTON  AND  SHERMANS  ARMISTICE.       381 

money  had  been  confided  to  my  keeping,  and  I  determined  to 
hold  it  as  long  as  the  war  lasted.  The  war  was  not  over,  as 
some  in  Augusta  would  have  had  me  to  believe.  So  long  as  an 
army  remained  in  the'  field  the  war  to  me  existed.  I  knew 
that  it  must  be  soon  over ;  but  what  I  mean  to  express 
is,  that  until  I  knew  that  General  Johnston,  under  whose  com 
mand  I  now  considered  myself,  had  surrendered,  my  duty  was 
plain  to  me.  If  any  man  supposes  that  his  opinion,  or  advice, 
had  anything  to  do  with  governing  my  action  in  the  case,  let 
him  disabuse  his  mind  of  it  now  and  forever. 

Whilst  in  Augusta,  and  afterwards,  I  was  advised  by  certain 
persons  to  divide  the  money  out,  as  the  war  was  over,  and  it 
would  otherwise  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Federal  troops.  I  was 
told  that  wTe  would  be  attacked  by  our  own  men,  and  might, 
at  the  very  end  of  the  wrar,  fall  by  the  hands  of  our  friends. 
To  this  I  made  but  one  reply :  The  treasure  had  been  put 
in  my  keeping,  and  I  would  hold  it  until  I  met  President  Da 
vis  ;  and  that,  if  necessary,  the  command  would  be  killed  in 
the  defence  of  it.  My  officers  and  men  stood  firmly  by  me  in 
this,  and  all  advances  were  met  by  a  quiet  reply  to  this  effect. 

The  armistice  continuing,  I  took  up  my  quarters  at  the  hotel, 
and  there  met,  for  the  last  time,  the  gallant  veteran  Commodore 
Tattnall.  He  was  not  on  duty  at  this  time,  and  during  the  few 
days  I  was  in  Augusta  I  was  much  with  him.  The  Commo 
dore  preserved  his  cheerfulness,  and  I  remember  his  telling  me 
many  incidents  connected  with  his  early  naval  career.  One  I 
recall :  He  said  that  in  1833  he  was  in  Key  West,  Florida, 
and  wras  taken  ill  with  the  cholera.  His  medical  attendant 
was  Dr.  Bailey  Washington,  a  character  in  his  way.  Becom 
ing  more  and  more  ill,  the  doctor  finally  gave  him  up,  and  so 
informed  him.  He  said :  "  Now,  Tatnall,  I  have  told  you  all ; 
I  can  do  nothing  more  for  you — if  there  is  anything  you  would 
like  to  eat  or  drink,  take  it ;  it  can  do  you  no  harm."  Tatnall 
replied  :  "  Well,  I  believe  I  will  take  a  mint  julep."  "  You 
shall  have  it,"  said  Dr.  Bailey  ;  "  and  I'll  take  one  with  you." 
The  julep  was  probably  just  what  was  wanted  to  save  Tat- 
nall's  life. 


362        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

While  waiting  in  Augusta  I  received  a  telegraphic  dispatch 
from  Mr.  Mallory,  directing  me  to  disband  my  command, — but, 
under  the  circumstances,  I  declined  to  do  so.  At  this  time  we 
heard  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln ;  an  event  which 
gave  much  pain  to  all  with  whom  I  conversed,  and  which  cast 
a  gloom  over  all  thinking  men.  It  was  universally  condemned 
at  the  South  ;  but  "  that  goes  without  saying." 

On  the  20th  General  Fry  notified  me  that  the  armistice 
would  end  the  next  day,  and  he  advised  me  to  "  move  on."  I 
decided  to  go  back,  and  try  to  meet  President  Davis  in  his  re 
treat.  I  knew  he  would  cross  the  Savannah  river  at  one  of  two 
points — between  Abbeville  and  Washington,  or  lower  down. 
After  much  reflection,  I  determined  to  retrace  my  steps,  in  the 
hope  of  intercepting  him  at  some  point  on  the  former  route. 
Accordingly  we  left  Augusta  on  the  23d  in  the  cars  for  Wash 
ington,  Georgia,  again. 


RETURN  TO  ABBEVILLE.  363 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

RETURN  TO  ABBEVILLE  —  AN  ALARM—  ARRIVAL  OF  PRESIDENT  DAVIS  AND 
CABINET  —  I  TRANSFER  THE  TREASURE  TO  GENERAL  BASIL  DUKE,  AND 
DISBAND  MY  COMMAND—  INTERVIEW  WITH  PRESIDENT  DAVIS  —  HIS  DE 
PARTURE  FROM  ABBEVILLE  —  GENERAL  JOS.  E.  JOHNSTON'S  SURRENDER  — 
AM  PAROLED—  LEAVE  ABBEVILLE  ON  MY  RETURN  HOME  —  BAD  TRAVEL 
ING  —  A  DAY  AT  BURKSVILLE  —  ARRIVAL  AT  NORFOLK,  VIRGINIA. 


formed  a  wagon  train  again  at  Washington,  picked  up 
our  ladies,  and  started  for  Abbeville.  On  the  way  we  met  Mrs. 
President  Davis  and  family,  escorted  by  Mr.  Burton  Harrison, 
the  President's  private  secretary.  They  could  give  me  no 
news  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  President.  I  have  forgotten 
where  they  told  me  they  intended  to  go.  They  had  a  com 
fortable  ambulance,  and  two  very  fine  led  horses,  which  I 
thought  they  woufd  very  likely  lose.  In  crossing  the  Savan 
nah  river  I  remember  saying  to  Captain  Rochelle  that  if  the 
money  were  mine  I  would  throw  it  overboard  rather  than  be 
longer  burdened  with  it.  I  had  had  it  nearly  thirty  days  ;  the 
midshipmen  were  suffering  for  shoes,  hats  and  clothing,  and 
the  care  and  responsibility  weighed  upon  me. 

We  arrived  at  Abbeville  about  the  28th,  and  here  I  stored 
the  treasure  in  a  warehouse  on  the  public  square,  and  placed 
a  guard  over  it  as  before.  I  also  kept  a  strong  patrol  in  the 
town,  which  was  now  full  of  General  Lee's  paroled  soldiers  on 
their  way  to  their  homes.  Threats  were  frequently  made  by 
these  men  to  seize  the  money,  but  they  always  received  the 
same  reply. 

Abbeville  was  on  the  direct  route  south,  and  all  the  trans- 
Mississippi  troops  passed  through  it,  as  well  as  others.  The 
citizens  had  known  but  little  of  the  sufferings  of  war.  They 
were  very  kind  and  hospitable  to  us.  On  the  night  of  the 


364       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

1st  of  May,  I  was  invited  to  a  May-party,  which  I  attended 
more  to  find  out  what  was  going  on  in  the  town  than  anything 
else.  While  there  a  paroled  officer  of  General  McGowan's 
brigade  approached  me  and  said  ho  had  information  that  the 
paroled  men  intended  to  attack  the  treasure  that  night,  and 
he  thought  it  his  duty  to  tell  me.  I  thanked  him  and  went  to 
my  quarters,  where  I  issued  orders  to  double  the  guard  and 
patrol.  I  had  given  directions  as  soon  as  I  arrived  in  Abbe 
ville  that  a  train  and  engine  should  be  held  ready  for  me, 
with  steam  up,  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night.  My  inten- 
tention  was,  if  threatened  by  the  enemy,  to  run  by  steam  to 
Nawberry,  and  then  take  to  the  dirt  road  again.  Everything 
seeming  to  be  in  a  state  of  quietude,  I  retired  about  midnight : 
leaving  directions  with  the  officer-of-the-guard  to  call  me  if 
anything  occurred.  I  had  quarters  in  a  private  house,  and 
slept  on  the  floor  of  the  parlor  where  I  could  be  easily  aroused. 
About  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  Lieutenant  Peek  the  officer 
of  the  guard  tapped  at  my  window.  I  can  hear  him  now : 
"  Captain,"  said  he  in  a  low  voice,  "  the  Yankees  are  coming." 
Upon  inquiry  I  learned  that  a  detachment  of  Federal  cavalry 
had  captured  two  gentlemen  at  Anderson  about  thirty  miles 
distant  the  evening  before.  One  of  the  gentleman  had  escaped 
and  brought  the  news  to  Abbeville,  and  as  Mr.  Peek  told  me, 
"  thought  the  Federals  would  arrive  about  daylight."  I  imme 
diately  called  all  hands  and  packed  the  money  in  the  cars,  and 
by  daybreak  had  everybody  on  the  train  in  readiness  to  move. 
I  walked  the  platform  in  thought — for  I  had  not  quite  decided 
to  run.  About  sunrise  we  saw  a  company  of  cavalry  winding 
down  the  hills  in  the  distance,  and  I  sent  out  two  scouts  who 
shortly  returned  with  the  information  that  it  was  the  advance 
guard  of  President  Davis'  escort.  So  I  had  judged  rightly  in 
returning  to  Abbeville.  About  10  A.  M.  President  Davis  and 
his  Cabinet  rode  into  town  and  were  well  received  by  the 
population  of  Abbeville.  It  was  a  sad  enough  sight  to  me,  I 
know.  It  reminded  me  of  scenes  I  had  witnessed  in  Central 
American  revolutions !  By  order  of  Secretary  Mallory  I  trans- 


DISBAND  MY  COMMAND.  365 

ferred  the  treasure  to  the  acting  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and 
by  him  was  instructed  to  deliver  it  to  the  care  of  General  Basil 
Duke,  which  I  did  at  the  railroad  station.  By  Mr.  Mallory's 
order  I  then  immediately  disbanded  my  command,  and  the 
Charlotte  company  marched  off  for  home  before  I  left  the  depot. 
The  midshipmen  left  in  detached  parties,  and  an  hour  after 
President  Davis'  arrival  the  organization  was  one  of  the  things 
of  the  past.  And  yet  to  show  how  unwilling  we  were  to 
acknowledge  that  the  Confederacy  was  broken — how  hard  we 
died,  in  fact — I  present  here  a  copy  of  the  letter  I  furnished 
every  midshipman  under  my  command,  when  I  bid  them  fare 
well: 

ABBEVILLE,  S.  C.,  May  2,  1865. 

SIR  :  You  are  hereby  detached  from  the  naval  school,  and 
leave  is  granted  you  to  visit  your  home.  You  will  report  by 
letter  to  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Navy  as  soon  as  practicable. 
Paymaster  Wheliss  will  issue  you  ten  days  rations,  and  all 
quartermasters  are  requested  to  furnish  you  transportation. 
Respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  H.  PARKER,  commanding. 
Midshipman C.  S.  Navy. 

We  had  about  thirty  colored  servants  in  the  command,  and 
they  started  for  Richmond  in  a  body.  They  went  off  in  high 
spirits,  singing  a  song  in  chorus,  and  all  walking  lame  in  the 
left  leg  as  it  is  the  habit  of  the  colored  population  to  do. 
I  gave  them  all  as  much  bacon,  sugar  and  coffee  as  they 
could  carry;  and  did  the  same  to  the  midshipmen  and  the 
Charlotte  company.  The  remainder  was  then  divided  into 
equal  parts  and  distributed  among  the  officers  who  remained 
with  me. 

Mr.  Davis  had  with  him  four  skeleton  brigades  of  cavalry, 
viz. :  Duke's,  Dibbrell's,  Ferguson's  and  Vaughn's.  Many 
of  the  men  traveled  with  him,  I  believe,  to  get  their  rations. 
Some  of  them  were  throwing  away  or  selling  their  arms,  as 
they  looked  upon  the  war  as  over.  There  were  many  noble 


366        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

spirits  among  them  who  were  ready,  and  anxious,  to  follow 
and  defend  the  President  to  the  death :  but  the  force  taken  as 
an  organization  was  demoralized. 

President  Davis  went  to  the  house  "of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Burt. 
After  finishing  my  duties  in  regard  to  transferring  the  trea 
sure,  and  disbanding  my  command,  I  called  upon  him.  I 
never  saw  the  President  appear  to  better  advantage  than 
during  these  last  hours  of  the  Confederacy.  He  was  captured 
eight  days  after  this,  near  Irwinsville,  Georgia,  about  175 
miles  from  Abbeville.  His  personal  appearance  has  been 
often  described.  I  remember  him  as  a  slender  man,  of  about 
5  feet  10  inches  in  height,  and  with  a  grey  eye  as  his  most 
marked  feature.  His  deportment  was  singularly  quiet  and 
dignified.  At  this  time  he  showed  no  signs  of  despondency. 
His  air  was  resolute ;  and  he  looked,  as  he  is,  a  born  leader  of 
men.  [His  cabinet  officers,  with  the  exception  of  General 
Breckenridge  and  Mr.  Reagan,  stood,  I  thought,  rather  in 
awe  of  him. 

General  Breckenridge  presented  his  usual  bold  cavalier 
manner ;  but  Mr.  Mallory,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  Mr. 
Benjamin,  Secretary  of  State,  were  much  depressed  and 
showed  it.  I  do  not  recall  Mr.  Reagan — he  was  the  Post 
master-General,  and  acting  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  Mr. 
Trenholm,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  Mr.  Davis,  Attorney 
General,  had  been  taken  ill  by  the  way  and  were  not  with 
the  party. 

In  addition  to  the  four  brigades  of  cavalry  the  President 
had  in  company  more  Brigadier-Generals  than  I  thought 
were  in  the  army.  Many  of  them  had  ambulances  and 
wagons,  and  the  train  must  have  been  several  miles  long.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  it  was  half  a  day  coming  in.  Referring 
to  the  Federal  cavalry  I  have  alluded  to,  it  wras  said  that  it 
was  marching  on  Abbeville,  when  it  met  Mr.  Davis'  escort 
and  turned  back.  I  never  knew  the  truth  of  this  report. 

After  shaking  hands  with  President  Davis,  whom  I  found 
alone,  I  first  gave  him  an  account  of  my  taking  his  family 


INTER  VIE  W  WITH  PRESIDENT  DA  VIS.         367 

from  Charlotte,  and  told  him  of  my  having  met  Mrs.  Davis  a 
few  days  before.  He  thanked  me,  and  then  inquired  after 
my  command.  I  told  him  I  had  disbanded  it.  He  said : 
"  Captain,  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  that,"  and  repeated  it 
several  times.  I  told  him  I  had  but  obeyed  Mr.  Mallory's 
order ;  that  my  command  had  been  on  the  march  for  thirty 
days,  and  was  without  shoes  and  proper  clothing.  The  Pre 
sident  seemed  to  be  in  deep  thought  for  a  few  moments,  and 
I,  wishing  him  clearly  to  appreciate  my  position,  said  :  "  Mr. 
President,  I  must  beg  you  to  understand  that  I  acted  upon 
the  peremptory  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy."  He 
then  replied :  "  Captain,  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with  you, 
but  I  am  very  sorry  Mr.  Mallory  gave  you  the  order." 
After  seeing  the  escort,  I  understood  Mr.  Davis'  regret.  I 
told  the  President  of  my  trip  to  Augusta,  and  of  General  Wil 
son's  movements,  and  asked  him  what  he  proposed  to  do.  He 
said  he  should  remain  four  days  in  Abbeville.  I  then  men 
tioned  the  affair  of  the  previous  night,  and  said  I  looked  upon 
his  capture  as  inevitable  if  he  prolonged  his  stay.  He  replied 
that  he  would  never  desert  the  Southern  people  ;  that  he  had 
been  elected  by  them  to  the  office  he  held,  and  would  stand 
by  them.  He  gave  me  to  understand  that  he  would  not 
take  any  step  which  might  be  construed  into  an  inglorious 
flight.  He  was  most  impressive  on  this  point.  The  mere 
idea  that  he  might  be  looked  upon  as  fleeing,  seemed  to 
arouse  him.  He  got  up  and  paced  the  floor,  and  repeated 
several  times  that  he  would  never  abandon  his  people. 
I  stuck  to  my  text ;  said  I :  "  Mr.  President,  if  you  remain 
here  you  will  be  captured.  You  have  about  you  only  a  few 
demoralized  soldiers,  and  a  train  of  camp  followers  three  miles 
long.  You  will  be  captured,  and  you  know  how  we  will  all 
feel  that.  It  is  your  duty  to  the  Southern  people  not  to  allow 
yourself  to  be  made  a  prisoner.  Leave  now  with  a  few  follow 
ers  and  cross  the  Mississippi,  as  you  express  a  desire  to  do 
eventually,  and  there  again  raise  the  standard." 

The  interview  lasted  an  hour,  and  I  used  every  argument 


368      RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

I  could  think  of  to  induce  him  to  leave  Abbeville ;  but  it  was 
in  vain.  He  insisted  that  he  would  remain  four  days.  Upon 
leaving  the  President  I  found  Messrs.  Mallory  and  Benjamin 
awaiting  me.  The  latter  very  nervous  and  impatient  to  con 
tinue  the  retreat.  Mr.  Mallory  was  more  phlegmatic,  but  was 
of  my  opinion,  that  they  would  all  be  captured  if  they  re 
mained. 

During  the  afternoon  the  soldiers  packed  the  treasure 
in  the  wagons  again,  preparatory  to  moving.  After  it  was 
taken  away  from  Abbeville,  which  was  on  that  night,  I  have 
no  further  personal  knowledge  of  it.  The  admirable  letter  of 
Captain  M.  H.  Clark  published  in  the  Southern  Historical  So 
ciety  papers  December,  1881,  gives  the  best  account  of  it  I 
have  seen.  A  day  after  the  party  left  I  yielded  to  the  solicita 
tions  of  my  officers  and  sent  Paymaster  Wheliss  to  Washing 
ton,  Georgia,  to  see  if  he  could  not  secure  money  enough  from 
Mr.  Reagan  to  enable  us  to  get  back  to  our  homes.  We  were 
paid  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  which  was  divided  pro  rata.  It 
gave  us  each  about  twenty  days  pay.  A  reference  to  Captain 
Clark's  letter  shows  that  several  of  the  President's  aids  received 
each  as  much  as  my  entire  command.  But  everything  was  in 
confusion,  and  no  justice  was  to  be  expected.  I  think  the 
President  took  as  little  account  of  the  money  as  I  did  myself, 
and  I  cannot  say  more  than  that.  As  to  the  charge  that  he 
took  an  undue  portion  of  it,  I  scorn  to  notice  it. 

I  asked  Mr.  Mallory  to  come  to  my  quarters  to  tea  that  eve 
ning,  and  about  8  o'clock  Mr.  Benjamin  came  in.  He  begged 
me  to  see  the  President  again,  and  to  urge  him  to  leave.  After 
some  demur  I  consented  to  do  so.  I  found  Mr.  Davis  alone  as 
before,  and  apologizing  for  my  intrusion,  said  my  intense  anxiety 
for  his  safety  must  excuse  it.  I  remained  some  time,  and  saw 
that  he  had  a  better  appreciation  of  the  condition  of  affairs  in 
Georgia  than  when  I  had  seen  him  in  the  morning.  I  pro 
posed  to  him  that  he  should  leave  Abbeville  with  four  naval 
officers,  (of  whom  I  was  to  be  one)  and  escape  to  the  east  coast 
of  Florida.  The  object  of  taking  naval  officers  was  that  they 


HIS  DEPARTURE  FROM  ABBEVILLE.  369 

might  seize  a  vessel  of  some  kind  and  get  to  Cuba  or  the  Ba 
hamas  ;  but  this  he  rejected. 

I  left  the  President  at  9  o'clock,  and  as  I  went  out  he  sent 
one  of  his  Aids  to  call  the  Cabinet  together.  I  went  to  my 
quarters,  and  not  long  after  received  a  note  from  Mr.  Mallory 
saying  they  would  leave  that  night,  and  he  notified  me  so  that 
I  might  accompany  them  if  I  desired.  As  they  were  all 
mounted  and  I  was  on  foot  and  could  not  get  a  horse,  I  was 
obliged  to  decline.  About  11  o'clock  the  President  and  his 
escort  left  Abbeville  for  Washington,  Ga.  If  I  have  given 
undue  prominence  to  myself  in  relating  the  occurrences  of 
this  day  at  Abbeville  it  is  only  because  I  had  just  returned 
from  Georgia,  and  was  supposed  to  have  a  better  knowledge 
of  the  condition  of  affairs  there  than  any  one  else  about  the 
President.  C'est  tout. 

A  few  days  after  this  a  passing  soldier  told  me  General 
Johnston  had  surrendered,  and  showed  me  his  parole.  I  called 
together  the  few  officers  still  with  me,  and  told  them  that  as 
we  were  in  General  Johnston's  command  we  must  accept  the 
conditions — and  now  after  the  four  years  wTar,  in  which  I  cer 
tainly  never  desired  to  figure  as  a  prisoner,  I  did  wish  to  be 
captured  so  that  I  might  obtain  my  parole :  without  it  I  did 
not  like  to  set  out  upon  my  return  to  Virginia. 

We  had  several  alarms  that  the  Federals  were  coming,  and 
upon  such  occasions  the  officers  would  assemble  at  my  quarters, 
where  we  would  await  our  fate  like  the  Roman  senators,  but 
they  came  not,  and  finally  hearing  that  a  troop  of  cavalry  was 
in  Washington,  Ga.,  I  sent  a  Lieutenant  there  with  a  letter  to 
the  commanding  officer,  explaining  my  condition  and  inclosing 
a  list  of  my  officers.  He  very  kindly  spared  us  the  trip  to 
Washington  by  sending  us  paroles,  only  requiring  the  officer  I 
had  sent  over  to  swear  us  in,  which  he  accordingly  did. 

Our  party  now  consisted  of  Captain  Rochelle,  Professor 
McGuire  and  wife,  my  wife  and  myself,  and  being  "  far  away 
from  home,"  we  began  to  cast  about  for  means  to  get  back  to 
Virginia.  We  went  in  the  cars  to_Newberry,  S.  C.,  where  I 


370       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

fell  in  with  Surgeon  Lynah,  who  had  been  a  messmate  of 
mine  in  the  Palmetto  State;  and  he  kindly  found  quarters  for 
us  whilst  wre  were  detained  there.  We  hired  a  wTagon  for  our 
baggage,  and  an  ambulance  for  the  ladies — paying  for  them 
in  sugar  and  coffee — to  take  us  to  Chester.  On  the  way  there 
we  passed  a  night  with  my  old  friend  Means,  and  were  most 
hospitably  entertained.  The  trip  across  the  country  passed 
without  incident,  except  the  stalling  of  our  wagon  the  morn 
ing  we  left  Means'.  We  would  never  have  left  that  spot,  I 
believe,  had  it  not  been  for  the  superhuman  energy  of  Pro 
fessor  McGuire,  who  with  a  small  sized  tree  finally  persuaded 
the  mules  to  pull  together.  We  stayed  a  day  or  two  in 
Chester,  and  then  took  the  cars  for  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  where 
we  first  fell  in  with  the  Federal  troops.  It  seemed  strange 
to  see  them  walking  around,  and  no  one  shooting  at  them ! 

From  Charlotte  we  went  to  Danville  by  easy  stages.  The 
roads  wrere  out  of  repair  and  the  cars  went  very  slowly,  get 
ting  off  the  track  every  few  hours.  We  slept  in  the  cars, 
which  were  always  crowded.  All  the  negroes  in  the  country 
were  making  for  Richmond,  with  their  "  things."  They  did 
not  feel  free  until  they  had  left  the  plantations ;  a  very  natural 
feeling.  We  clung  to  our  seats  day  and  night,  determined  not 
to  "  let  go  our  hold  "  until  we  reached  Burksville,  where  we 
intended  to  take  the  south-side  railroad  for  City  Point,  on  the 
James  River. 

I  really  do  not  remember  how  many  days  we  were  in  going 
from  Charlotte  to  J3urksville ;  but  we  got  there  at  last,  one 
day  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  first  news  we 
got  was  that  there  would  not  be  a  train  to  City  Point  until  the 
next  afternoon.  Twenty-four  hours  to  remain  in  Burksville. 
Ye  gods  and  little  fishes !  Our  previous  sufferings  sank  into 
insignificance  in  comparison  to  it — and  to  make  matters  worse 
it  was  raining.  I  went  out  to  find  quarters  for  the  night.  If 
there  was  a  tavern  it  was  full.  I  believe  I  went  to  every  house 
in  town  to  inquire  for  rooms,  but  they  were  all  full.  I  ex 
plained  that  I  only  wanted  accommodations  for  two  ladies,  but 


A  DAX  AT  B URKS  VILLE.  371 

all  my  entreaties  were  in  vain — not  a  room  could  I  get.  Noth 
ing  better  offering,  we  determined  to  remain  in  the  cars ;  so 
Rochelle  and  I  made  the  coffee  as  usual,  and  after  supper  we 
went  about  making  the  ladies  comfortable  for  the  night.  The 
rain  had  driven  the  negroes  and  soldiers  into  the  cars, — and, 
to  make  matters  worse,  some  of  them  were  drunk.  While  wre 
were  making  our  preparations,  a  Federal  surgeon  passed  through 
the  cars,  and,  noticing  the  state  of  affairs,  very  kindly  told  me 
I  could  have  a  room  at  the  hospital.  He  said  it  was  a  poor 
enough  place,  but,  he  thought,  better  than  the  cars.  We  were 
glad  to  accept  his  offer,  and  accompanied  him  to  the  hospital. 
It  was  a  frame  building,  and  the  room  had  neither  windows 
nor  doors.  We  pinned  up  blankets  as  substitutes,  and,  leav 
ing  McGuire  to  sleep  across  the  doorway  as  a  guard,  Rochelle 
and  I  wTent  to  the  railway  station,  where  we  made  a  delightful 
bed  of  sacks,  full  of  shelled  corn,  and  passed  the  night  alfresco. 
I  never  slept  better.  The  next  morning  early  I  called  at  the 
hospital  to  see  how  the  ladies  were  getting  on,  and  found  that, 
for  the  first  time,  they  had  broken  down.  They  had  bivou 
acked  by  the  wayside,  slept  in  the  cars,  and  undergone  hard 
ships  of  every  description  ;  but  Burksville  wras  entirely  too 
much  for  them. 

In  despair  I  set  out  again  to  look  for  quarters :  although  I 
was  assured  it  was  useless  to  do  so.  I  determined  to  try  the 
country,  and  walked  up  the  road  intending  to  continue  on 
until  I  found  a  house.  I  had  not  gone  a  mile  before  I  came 
to  a  deserted  mansion.  The  window  frames  and  doors  were 
gone,  and  the  house  was  much  torn  to  pieces ;  it  evidently  had 
been  a  well-kept,  pretty  place. 

"  A  jolly  place,"  said  he,  "  in  times  of  old  ! 
But  something  ails  it  now  :  the  spot  is  cursed." 

While  looking  over  the  fence,  pondering,  a  negro  woman 
came  to  the  door  of  the  kitchen,  and  as  soon  as  I  caught  sight 
of  the  bandanna  handkerchief  on  her  head  I  knew  she  was 
the  cook.  She  told  me  the  family  had  "  done  run  away,"  a 


372        RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  NA  VAL  OFFICER. 

long  time  before.  She  said  she  would  gladly  cook  our  pro 
visions  for  us ;  that  the  rooms  had  no  furniture  in  them,  but 
there  was  plenty  of  fresh  water,  etc. 

I  returned  in  triumph  to  Burksville  and  brought  back  my 
entire  party.  We  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  bath  and  as  we  had 
an  abundance  of  provisions  we  soon  had  a  smoking  breakfast 
on  the  table.  I  had  kept  three  servants  with  me,  so  there  was 
no  lack  of  attendance.  I  passed  here  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
days  of  my  life.  We  made  a  sort  of  a  pic-nic  of  it,  and  en 
joyed  it  beyond  measure.  We  were  "  far  from  the  madding 
sword,"  and  had  for  the  time  at  least  no  cares. 

About  4  P.  M.  we  packed  up  and  went  to  the  train,  which 
soon  after  left  for  City  Point.  We  arrived  within  a  mile  of 
the  Point  at  dark,  and  here  the  engine  left  us  and  the  con 
ductor  coolly  informed  us  that  the  cars  would  be  taken  down 
the  next  day.  But  wre  did  not  mind ;  the  cars  were  not 
crowded.  We  got  out  to  cook  our  supper,  and  we  sat  around 
our  camp-fire  that  night  for  the  last  time. 

From  the  time  of  our  leaving  Charlotte  until  we  got  to  City 
Point  we  were  constantly  thrown  with  the  Federal  soldiers  as 
wrell  as  our  own,  and  I  do  not  remember  in  that  time  hearing 
an  unpleasant  word  spoken  on  either  side.  The  fighting  men 
on  both  sides  were  the  most  tolerant. 

In  the  morning  the  engine  took  us  to  City  Point,  where  we 
were  to  take  the  boat  to  Norfolk.  Professor  and  Mrs.  McGuire 
left  us  here,  and  I  discharged  my  last  servants  and  sent  them 
to  their  homes.  At  10  o'clock  the  boat  arrived  from  Rich 
mond,  and  we  went  on  board.  It  seemed  strange  to  find  my 
self  on  board  with  nothing  to  do.  I  could  hardly  realize  it. 
About  4  we  arrived  in  Norfolk  and  were  at  home  again — 
just  three  years  after  our  evacuation  of  it  in  1862.  So  ended 
my  career  as  a  Naval  Officer.  "  Farewell !  Othello's  occupa 
tion's  gone." 


LIFE    OF 

Lord    Lawrence 

BY 

R.    BOSWORTH    SMITH,   M.A., 

LATE    FELLOW   OF   TRINITY   COLLEGE  ;   ASSISTANT   MASTER  AT   HARROW 

SCHOOL. 


With  Maps  and  Portraits,  2  vols.,  8vo,  $5.OO. 


"  As  a  biography,  the  work  is  an  inthralling  one,  rich  in 
anecdotes  and  incidents  of  Lord  Lawrence's  tempestuous  nature 
and  beneficent  career  that  bring  into  bold  relief  his  strongly- 
marked  and  almost  colossal  individuality,  and  rich  also  in  in 
stances  of  his  courage,  his  fortitude,  his  perseverance,  his  self- 
control,  his  magnanimity,  and  in  the  details  of  the  splendid 
results  of  his  masterful  and  masterly  policy.  .  .  .  We  know 
of  no  work  on  India  to  which  the  reader  can  refer  with  so  great 
certainty  for  full  and  dispassionate  information  relative  to  the 
government  of  the  country,  the  characteristics  of  its  people,  and 
the  fateful  events  of  the  forty  eventful  years  of  Lord  Lawrence's 
Indian  career." — Harper's  Magazine. 

"John  Lawrence,  the  name  by  which  the  late  Viceroy  of  India 
will  always  be  best  known,  has  been  fortunate  in  his  biographer, 
Mr.  Bosworth  Smith,  who  is  an  accomplished  writer  and  a  faith 
ful,  unflinching  admirer  of  his  hero.  He  has  produced  an  enter 
taining  as  well  as  a  valuable  book  ;  the  general  reader  will 
certainly  find  it  attractive  ;  the  student  of  recent  history  will 
discover  in  its  pages  matters  of  deep  interest  to  him." — London 
Daily  Telegraph. 

*#*  For-jriilt  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  post-paid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  ly 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


NOW    COMPLETE. 

In  three  volumes,  12mo,  with  Maps  and  Plans. 


THE 

Navy  iu  the  Civil  War 


'"pHE  WORK  OF  THE  NAVY  in  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion  was 
•*•  certainly  not  less  remarkable  than  that  of  the  Army.  The  same 
forces  which  developed  from  our  volunteers  some  of  the  finest  bodies  of 
soldiers  in  military  history,  were  shown  quite  as  wonderfully  in  the  creation 
of  a  Navy,  which  was  to  cope  for  the  first  time  with  the  problems  of  modern 
warfare. 

The  facts  that  -the  Civil  War  was  the  first  great  conflict  in  which  steam 
was  the  motive  power  of  ships  ;  that  it  was  marked  by  the  introduction  of 
the  ironclad  ;  and  that  it  saw,  for  the  first  time,  the  attempt  to  blockade 
such  a  vast  length  of  hostile  coast  —  will  make  it  an  epoch  for  the  techinal 
student  everywhere. 

But  while  the  Army  has  been  fortunate  in  the  number  and  character  of 
those  who  have  contributed  to  its  written  history,  the  Navy  has  been  com 
paratively  without  annalists.  During  a  recent  course  of  publications  on 
the  military  operations  of  the  war,  the  publishers  were  in  constant  receipt 
of  letters  pointing  out  this  fact,  and  expressing  the  wish  that  a  complete 
naval  history  of  the  four  years  might  be  written  by  competent  hands.  An 
effort  made  in  this  direction  resulted  in  the  cordial  adoption  and  carrying 
out  of  plans  by  which  Messrs.  CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS  are 
enabled  to  announce  the  completion  of  a  work  of  the  highest  authority  and 
interest,  giving  the  whole  narrative  of  Naval  Operations  from  1861  to  1865. 

I.    THE    BLOCKADE    AND     THE    CRUISERS.—  By    Pro 

fessor  J.   RUSSELL  SOLEY,  U.  S.  Navy. 

II.    THE      ATLANTIC      COAST.—  By     Rear-Admiral     DANIEL 
AMMEN,  U.  S.  Navy. 

III.    THE    GULF  AND    INLAND  WATERS.—  By  Commander 

A.  T.  MAHAN,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Uniform  with  "The  Campaigns  of  the  Civil  War,"  with  maps 
and  diagrams  prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  Authors. 

Price   per  Volume,   SI.OO. 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S    SONS,   Publishers, 

74=3   &   74=5  Broadway,  New   York. 


THE 

Navy  in  the  Civil  War 

I.-THE  BLOCKADE  AND  THE  CRUISERS. 

By  Professor  J.  RUSSELL  SOLEY,  U.  S.  Navy. 

u  The  book  is  well  arranged,  written  clearly,  without  technical  terms, 
and  shows  great  familiarity  with  the  subject.  It  is  marked  by  thoroughness 
of  preparation,  sound  judgment,  and  admirable  impartiality.  It  is  a  promis 
ing  beginning  of  the  projected  series  ;  and  if  the  other  volumes  prove 
worthy  of  this,  they  will  make  a  valuable  addition  to  the  Army  series, 
which  has  proved  so  useful  and  popular." — The  Nation. 

II -THE  ATLANTIC  COAST. 

By  Real-Admiral  DANIEL  AMMEN,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Admiral  Ammen's  history  of  the  naval  operations  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  from  1861  to  the  close  of  the  war,  describes  the  active  work  of  the 
navy  in  attacking  the  defensive  strongholds  of  the  Confederacy  from 
Hampton  Roads  to  Florida  Keys.  It  includes  a  full  account  of  the  long 
siege  of  Charleston,  and  the  scarcely  less  arduous  operations  against 
Fort  Fisher,  the  capture  of  Hatteras  Inlet,  Roanoke  Island  and  Newbern, 
and  other  minor  movements  along  the  coast. 

Ill -THE  GULF  AND  INLAND  WATERS. 

By  Commander  A.  T.  MAHAN,  U.  S.  Navy. 

The  achievements  of  the  Naval  force  on  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries, 
and  on  the  Gulf  and  the  Red  River,  either  independently  or  in  co-oper 
ation  with  the  Army,  form  one  of  the  most  thrilling  chapters  in  the  history 
of  the  Civil  War.  The  exploits  of  Farragut,  Foote  and  Porter,  with  their 
gallant  crews  and  improvised  vessels,  teem  with  acts  of  daring,  marvelous 
escapes,  and  terrific  encounters.  Commander  Mahan  has  done  full  justice 
to  this  side  of  his  narrative,  but  he  has  given  at  the  same  time  a  record  of 
*his  part  of  the  war  that  has  greater  claims  to  historic  value  than  any  which 
have  preceded  it. 

Each  One  Volume,    1  2mo,  with    Maps   and    Plans. 

Price  per  Volume,   SI.OO. 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS,  Publishers, 
74:3  &  745  Broadway,  New  York. 


[By    .Airi-ang-emoiit     TvitH    tlio 

The  Best  Biography  of  the  Greatest  of  the  Romans. 

A    SKETCH. 

BY 

JAMES  ANTHONY  FROUDE,  M.A. 

Library    Edition,    Gvo,    Cloth,     Gilt    Top,    $2.5O. 
POPULAR    EDITION   (from   earne   plaf«M)9  12mo,  75 

Uniform  irf'h  P^nnJir  TlW^-n  of  r«-mifl<?8  History 
of  England,  and  Short  Studies. 


There  is  no  historical  writer  of  our  time  who  can  rival  Mr.  Fronde  in  vivid 
delineation  of  character,  grace  and  clearness  of  style  and  elegant  and  solid 
scholarship.  In  his  JAfe  t>f  Cantar,  all  these  qualities  appear  in  their  fullest 
perfection,  resulting  in  a  fascinating  narrative  which  will  be  read  with  keen 
d slight  by  a  multitude  cf  readers,  and  will  enhance,  if  possible,  Mr.  Fronde's 
brilUant  reputation. 


CRITICAL    NOTICES. 

"  The  book  is  charmingly  written,  and,  on  the  whole,  wisely  written.  There  are  many 
admirable,  really  noble,  passages  ;  there  are  hundreds  of  pages  which  few  living  men 
could  match.  *  *  *  Tne  political  life  of  Caesar  is  explained  with  singular  lucidity, 
and  with  what  seems  to  us  remarkable  fairness.  The  horrible  condition  of  Roman 
society  und.r  the  rule  of  the  magnates  is  painted  with  startling  power  and  brilliance  of 
coloring. — Atlantic  Monthly. 

"  Mr.  Froude's  latest  work,  '«  Caesar,"  is  affluent  of  his  most  distinctive  traits. 
Nothing  that  he  has  written  is  more  brilliant,  more  incisive,  more  interesting.  *  *  * 
He  combines  into  a  compact  and  nervous  narrative  all  that  is  known  oi  the  personal, 
social,  political,  and  military  life  of  Caesar  ;  and  with  his  sketch  of  Caesar,  includes  other 
brilliant  sketches  of  the  great  men,  his  friends  or  rivals,  who  contemporaneously  with 
him  formed  the  principal  figures  in  the  Roman  world." — Harper's  Monthly. 

"This  book  is  a  most  fascinating  biography,  and  is  by  far  the  best  account  of  Julius 
Caesar  to  be  found  in  the  English  language." — London  Standard. 

"  It  is  the  best  biography  of  the  greatest  of  the  Romans  we  have,  and  it  is  in  some 
respects  Mr.  Froude's  best  piece  of  historical  writing." — Hartford  Courant. 

Mr.  Froude  has  given  the  public  the  best  of  all  recent  books  on  the  life,  character 
and  career  of  Julius  Caesar."— Pkila.  Eve.  Bulletin. 


*„*    For   sale   by  all   booksellers,   or  will  be   sent^  prepaid,  upon, 
receipt  of  price t  by 

CHARLES   SCRTBNER'S    SONS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK, 


TURKISH  LIFE  IN  WAR  TIME. 

By    HENRY    O.    DWIGHT. 


One  Volume,  12mo, $1.50. 

Mr.  Dwight's  familiarity  with  the  languages  and  manners  of  the  capital, 
and  his  numerous  sources  of  information  from  almost  all  parts  of  Turkey, 
have  enabled  him  to  give  a  most  faithful  account  of  the  transactions  of  the 
war  as  seen  from  a  Turkish  point  of  view,  and  also  incidentally  to  put  his 
reader  in  possession  of  much  information  respecting  the  motley  races  under 
Turkish  rule. 

"  The  work  can  be  especially  commended  as  a  graphic,  and  clear,  and  never-wearying 
story." — N.  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"The  book  fills  a  place  in  the  literature  relating  to  its  subject  which,  so  far  as  we  can 
judge,  would  be  empty  without  it." — Boston  Congre (rationalist. 

'•  It  is  even  more  charming  than  a  good  book  of  travel  ;  for  th°  author  pictures  scenes 
v/ith  which  he  is  familiar,  and  knows  the  lull  value  of  every  incident  he  records." — Cin 
cinnati  Christian  Standard. 

"It  abounds  in  stirring  incident  of  most  fxciting  times,  graphic  descriptions  o< 
thrilling  scenes,  and  information  of  importance  to  statesmen  and  of  great  interest  to  the 
general  reader." — N.  Y.  Observer. 

"A  better  idea  of  the  Turkish  character  may  be  gaine-l  through  the  many  anecdotes 
an'!  descriptions  of  scenes  given  by  the  writer,  than  by  the  study  of  any  previous  history 
with  which  we  are  acquainted." — Baptist  Weekly. 

"  No  book  yet  published  rovers  precisely  the  same  ground,  or  handles  the  subject  in 
precisely  the  same  way.  We  find  ourselves,  in  its  perusal,  lending  very  much  the  sort 
of  attention  to  it  that  we  sho-ild  to  the  narrative  of  a  friend  who  had  passed  through  ihe 
scenes  whi  h  Mr.  Dwight's  letters  portray." — Syracuse  Herald. 

''This  book  is  the  mo-t  vivid  and  faithful  sketch  of  Turkish  character  thit  we  have 
ever  seen.  .  .  .  It  is  mairriy  a  series  of  interesting  notes  and  sketches,  giving  those 
little  details  of  Ife  and  thought  from  day  to  day,  in  a  time  of  great  excitement,  which 
are  so  essential  in  order  to  gain  an  accurate  know. edge  of  any  peoplj." — The  Nation. 

"The  book  has  more  than  a  transient  value.  It  is  a  contribution  to  history.  The 
author  has  not  only  descriptive  talent,  but  a  gift  f  r  discerning  the  meaning  of  the  political 
and  military  manoeuvres,  which  encompassed  Constantinople.  While  sufficiently  inter 
esting  to  the  general  reader,  the  book  is  full  of  information  for  the  student  of  manners 
and  of  pol  tical  affairs." — N.  Y.  Christian.  Advocate. 

"It  is  to  ns  admirable  in  every  sense.  It  is  judicious,  discriminating,  comprehen 
sive,  impartial,  free  from  animosity  in  its  thorough  and  candid  criticisms:  eminently 
clear,  vigorous,  and  animated  in  expression;  tells  us  just  what  we  wish  to  know,  and 
wastes  no  time  in  doing  it The  b  x>k  is  one  to  which  the  reader  can  sur 
render  himself  and  simply  enjoy." — N".  Y.  Christian  Intelligencer. 

'il  Turkish  Life  in  War  Tim",'  does  not  pretend  to  be  a  history  of  the  Russian  war, 
but  it  is  a  more  valuable  work  than  any  so-called  history  we  have  seen.  It  is  a  record, 
the  almost  daily  record,  of  a  very  keen  observer,  who  set  down  the  events  that  he  saw, 
and  who,  from  acquaintance  with  the  Orient,  understood  the  bearing  of  those  events.  It 
has  a\\  the  interest  of  a  personal  narrative,  and  al!  the  weight  that  we  accord  to  an  honest 
and  well-informed  observer.  It  is  to  S"ch  records  of  eye-witnesses  as  these  that  future 
historians  must  resort." — Hartford  Courant. 


*.£*  For   sale    fy   all    booksellers,    or   sent,   post-paid,    upon    receipt  of 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


ARMY  LIFE  IN  RUSSIA. 

By    F.    V.    GREENE, 

LIEUTENANT  OF  ENGINEERS,  UNITED  STATES  ARMY, 

Late  Military  Attache  to  the    U.  S.  Legation  in  St.  Petersburg^  and  author  oj 
"The  Russian  Army  and  its  Campaigns  in  Turkey  in  1877-78.'' 


One  Volume,  12mo,     ....     $1.50. 

Lieutenant  Greene's*  opportunities  for  general  as  well  as  technical 
observation  while  with  the  Russian  army  in  Turkey  were  such  as  have 
perhaps  never  fallen  to  any  other  student  of  the  war.  The  story  of  this 
personal  experience  is  embodied  in  this  volume,  which  contains  most 
vigorous  and  vivid  descriptions  cf  battle  scenes,  in  the  chapters  on  the 
Shipka  Pass,  Plevna,  and  in  the  very  strong  and  excellent  chapter  on  the 
winter  campaign  across  the  Balkans  with  Gourko.  The  chapters  en  the 
Tsar  and  the  Russian  generals,  and  the  sections  devoted  to  the  Russian 
soldier,  to  St.  Petersburg,  and  the  army  life  of  the  Russian  at  home,  are  of 
absorbing  interest. 


"His  sketches  are  excellently  well  done,  graphic,  evidently  not  exaggerated,  and 
very  readable.  It  is  a  book  that  will  be  read  with  pleasure,  and  one  that  contains  a 
great  deal  of  information." — Hartford  Courant. 

"This  volume  is  in  every  way  an  admirable  picture  of  army  life  in  Russia.  It  is 
clear,  concise,  discriminating,  and  often  very  picturesque.  The  author,  besides  pos 
sessing  an  excellent  style,  is  extrem  ely  modest,  and  there  are  very  few  books  of  t  avel 
in  which  the  first  person  is  kept  so  absolutely  in  the  background." — International 
Review. 

"  Lieutenant  Greene  writes  in  a  soldierly  way,  unaffected,  straightforward,  and 
graphic,  and,  thjugh  he  has  a  keen  eye  for  the  picturesque,  never  sacrifices  to  rhetoric 
the  absolute  truthfulness  so  eminently  to  be  desired  in  a  narrative  of  this  sort. — Neiu 
York  World. 

"  He  was  with  the  Russian  army  throughout  the  campaign,  enjoying  perfect  free 
dom  of  movement,  having  every  opportunity  to  visit  the  points  of  greatest  activity,  and 
to  see  the  operations  of  greatest  mom  -nt,  in  company  with  the  officers  who  conducted 
them.  His  book  is,  therefore,  for  all  tne  purposes  of  ordinary  readers,  a  complete  and 
satisfactory  history  of  the  war,  founded  upon  intimnte  personal  knowledge  of  its  events, 
and  of  its  spirit.  It  is  a  work  of  the  rarest  interest  and  of  unusual  merit." — New  York 
Evening  Post. 

"  It  is  most  fortunate  for  the  reputation  of  our  country  and  our  army  that  we  had 
such  an  officer  to  send  to  the  far-away  hnd  of  Turkey  in  Europe,  and  most  creditable  to 
our  War  Department  that  it  sent  such  a  imn.  His  book  deseves  to  be  universally  read, 
and  we  are  sure  that  no  person  whom  these  lines  may  lead  to  purchase  it  will  fail  ta 
rejoice  that  they  have  been  written." — The  Nation. 


***  F°r    sa^e   by    a^   booksellers,  or    sent,  post-paid,  upon    receipt   o) 
Price,  by 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S    SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


RE-ISSUE     OF     THE 


Complete   Writings  of 

Dr.  J.  G.  Holland. 


It  is  believed  that  the  aggregate  sale  of  Dr.  Holland's  Books, 
amounting  as  it  does  to  half  a  million  volumes,  exceeds  the 
circulation  of  the  writings  of  any  other  American  author.  There 
is  not  a  single  book  of  his  which  has  not  had  an  unquestionable 
success,  and  most  of  them  have  been  in  such  constant  and 
increasing  demand  that  the  plates  are  actually  worn  out. 

Since  The  Bay  Path,  Bittersweet,  and  the  Titcomb  Letters 
were  first  published,  twenty  millions  of  people  have  been  added 
to  our  population,  and  an  entire  new  generation  of  readers  has 
come  upon  the  stage.  For  these  reasons,  a  new  edition  has 
become  imperatively  necessary,  and  the  publishers  have  done 
their  best  to  make  their  part  of  the  work  correspond  with  the 
importance  which  the  popular  verdict  has  given  to  Dr.  Holland's 
productions.  It  is  believed  that  the  whole  work  will  compare 
favorably  with  the  best  issues  of  the  American  press. 


TITCOMB'S  LETTERS,  EVERY-DAY    TOPICS.— 

GOLD  FOIL,  First  Series. 

THE  JONES  FAMILY,  EVERY-DAY      TOPICS.— 

LESSONS  IN  LIFE,  Second    Series.        (Now  first 

PLAIN  TALKS,  published.) 

BITTERSWEET,  KATHRINA, 

MISTRESS     OF     THE  PURITAN'S      GUEST,     and 

MANSE,  Other  Poems. 


SEVENOAKS,  NICHOLAS  MINTURN, 

ARTHUR    BONNICASTLE,       BAY  PATH, 
MISS    GILBERT'S    CAREER. 


Each  one  volume,  12mo,        -        -         Price,  $1.25. 


*3f*  For    sale   by   all   booksellers,    or   sent,  post-paid,    upon   receipt  of 
price,  by 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS,    PUBLISHERS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


STANDARD     WORKS     OF    FICTION". 


THE   ERCKMANN-CHATRIAN  NOVELS. 

New  Edition  in  JTanrfsomv  Jiindint/.     JZacH  one  vol.  IStno, 
uniform.     J£jc<ra  Cloth,  $1.25  per  vol. 

"These  delightful  works  well  deserve  their  great  success.  .  .  .  Not  only  is 
the  couleur  locale  admirably  preserved,  hut  the  very  spirit  of  those  who  took  part  in 
the  events  is  preserved." — President  Andrew  D.  White,  LL.D. 

FRIEND  FRITZ.      A  Tale  of  the  Banks  of  the  Lauter.      In- 

.  eluding  a  Story  of  College  Life. — "MAITRE  NABLOT." 
*'  'Friend  Fritz'  is  a  charmingly  sunny  and  refreshing  story." — N.  V.  Tribune. 

THE  CONSCRIPT.  A  Tale  of  the  French  War  of  1813.  With 
four  full-page  illustrations. 

"  It  is  hardly  fiction — it  is  history  in  the  guise  of  fiction,  and  that  part  of  his 
tory  which  historians  hardly  write,  concerning  the  disaster,  the  ruin,  the  sickness, 
the  poverty,  and  the  utter  misery  and  suffering  which  war  brings  upon  the  people." — 
Cincinnati  Dai.y  Commercial. 

WATERLOO.  A  Story  of  the  Hundred  Days.  Being  a  Sequel 
to  '*  The  Conscript."  With  four  full-page  illustrations. 

"Written  in  that  charming  style  of  simplicity  which  has  made  the  ERCKMANN- 
CHATRIAN  works  popular  in  every  language  in  which  they  have  been  published." — 
New  York  Daily  Herald. 

THE  PLEBISCITE.  The  Miller's  Story  of  the  War.  A  vivid 
Narrative  of  Events  in  connection  with  the  great  Franco-Prussian 
War  of  1871. 

THE  BLOCKADE  OF  PHALSBURG.  An  Episode  of  the  Fall 
of  the  First  French  Empire.  With  four  full-page  illustrations 
and  a  portrait  of  the  authors. 

"Not  only  are  they  interesting  historically,  but  intrinsically  a  pleasant,  well-con 
structed  plot,  serving  in  each  case  to  connect  the  great  events  which  they  so  graph 
ically  treat,  and  the  style  being  as  vigorous  and  charming  as  it  is  pure  and 
refreshing." — Philadelphia  Daily  Inquirer. 

INVASION  OF  FRANCE  IN  1814.  With  the  Night  March  past 
Phalsburg.  With  a  Memoir  of  the  Authors.  With  four  full- 
page  illustrations. 

"  All  their  nove's  are  noted  for  the  same  admirable  qualities — simple  and  effective 
realism  of  plot,  incident  and  language,  and  a  disclosure  of  the  horrid  individual 
aspects  of  war.  They  are  absolutely  perfect  of  their  kind." — N.  Y.  Evening  Mail. 

MADAME  THERESE,    or,  the  Volunteers  of  '92.       With  four 
full-page  illustrations. 

"It  is  a  boy's  story — that  is,  supposed  to  be  written  by  a  boy — and  has  all  the 
freshness,  the  unconscious  simplicity  and  naivete  which  the  imagined  authorship 
should  imply  ;  while  nothing  more  graphic,  more  clearly  and  vividly  pictorial,  has 
been  brought  before  the  public  for  many  a  day." — Boston  Commonwealth. 

*#*  For  sale  by  all  booksellers,   or  sent,  post-paid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS,    Publishers, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


FEB 


^TER-LIBRARY 

^  j 

LUAIM 

JUL  13  1978 


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£  JAN  18  196 


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ECEIVED 


MAR  2  7 '67 -9  AM 

LOAN  Pi 


SL 1 3  1968  8  6 


LD  21A-60m-7,'66 
(G4427slO)476B 


:neral  Library 
•University  of  California 
Berkeley 


